Keepsake of the Elemental
by GeistLoL
Summary: [Old Lore] A gifted elemental mage is accepted as the newest summoner in the Institute of War. Ronan must hone his magic to control the champions of Runeterra while uncovering the secrets of his lost memories. A multi-chapter lemony adventure story. Commissioned. M for many lemons.
1. Chapter 1 - Under Purple Stone

**Keepsake of the Elemental**

 **Chapter 1 – Under Purple Stone**

The Institute was more than Ronan expected, but less than what he had heard from the other summoners.

Pillars of purple stone lined the great staircase that led up to its double obsidian doors, while blue flames burned in braziers on either side of the walkway. Nexus crystals were suspended with magic atop pillars that overlooked him and the air was doused with the presence of the arcane. _A grand spectacle_ he thought, but he wasn't there for appearances.

The letter he'd received from the High Councillor had awarded him a place within the ranks of the new breed of summoners in the Institute of War. In his hand, he held the certificate of graduation he'd earnt from his previous college, filling him with confidence and desire to prove his worth. He doubted any of the newbies he'd meet would match his ability with summoning magic, or his potential for elemental manipulation. They wouldn't even come close. His previous mentor had been astonished with Ronan's quick learning and his ability to execute perfect summoning rituals. But that was all small-scale stuff compared to what awaited him here. Ronan needed something more powerful to summon than petty creatures and idols. Ronan needed a champion.

He'd seen the roster of champions at the Institute, ranging from war-bent demons of the ancient world, to gifted mages and talented inventors. Everything in between he was yet to discover. With over a hundred champions calling the Institute their home while the summoners used their powers to settle the world's debates, Ronan was sure he was going to find his match. A champion that he could channel his ability through.

With a smile on his face and a glint in the purple of his eyes, Ronan ascended the stairs and pulled open the doors.

More grandeur greeted him inside. Floors of quartz stone polished so much so that he struggled to keep himself from slipping. He wandered on through admiring the vast size of the halls and the many robed men and women milling around the area. Some contained balls of magic between their outstretched hands, with scrolls and spell books tucked under their arms.

He had been instructed to go straight to the High Councillor's office upon his arrival, but as he walked the winding halls, Ronan found himself becoming more and more lost. Everywhere looked the same, and there were no signs or indications as to where the next corridor may lead to. _Not even a map? How is anyone meant to know their way around this place?_ he thought.

'Excuse me?' he said, trying to attract the attention of the many robed summoners as they rushed around the corridors on their business. No one stopped, most didn't even seem to hear him. They just carried on right past, maybe only sparing enough time to shoot a glare his way. He was not one of them, an outsider. One apparently they didn't want to talk to.

Ronan continued to wander the corridors aimlessly, searching for something that may lead him to the office. Eventually, the purple light of a glowing nexus crystal led him towards an end of the Institute that seemed to be less populated by summoners, and busier with official looking councillors. Their robes were darker, their hoods kept down to give view of their more mature faces. Some bore tattoos of rune magic inscribed onto their skins.

'Can you tell me where I can find the High Councillor?' Ronan asked one as they past. He was delighted when they finally stopped and looked at him, confirming that he wasn't invisible.

'A new summoner, hm?' the man said. 'You are heading in the correct direction. The door at the end of this corridor on the right will bring you to High Councillor Kolminye. You best have an appointment. She does not like her time wasted.'

Before Ronan could show off the invitation he'd received from the Institute, the man had gone. His eyes darted around in search of where he had gone, but soon they settled on the direction the man had meant. He found it, noticing the far door at the end of the corridor was gilded and framed with purple light. Obviously more important than any other it seemed.

He knocked politely before a voice inside ushered him in. Behind an ornate desk with countless scrolls splayed across it's top was the High Councillor of the Institute, Vessaria Kolminye. For the first time since arriving at the steps of the organisation, Ronan was actually impressed. Vessaria was a mature looking woman, with her mahogany hair tied in a tight bun. Her eyes were piercing and seemed alive with the flare of deep magic. When the dark irises landed on him, he felt her measuring his worth, looking into his soul and gauging his potential. She brushed her robe off as she stood to greet him.

Behind her desk, Ronan noticed a large nexus crystal floating above a blue pool of magic. It let out a low hum as the magic pulsed through the crystal.

'Ronan, I presume?' she said in a voice laced with nobility and knowledge.

'Yes, High Councillor,' Ronan replied. She gestured for him to take a seat in front of her desk.

'I must say Ronan, I'm impressed. Your ability displayed in your previous college far exceeds any of our new summoners. It is not often I have considered adding a new summoner straight into the Diamond ranks. I think you'll do quite fine here.'

Ronan felt himself smile. The confidence he had from his previous school was helping to settle his nerves, and to hear it from the highest summoner only spurred him on more. 'Thank you, High Councillor.'

'Let's stick to Vessaria for now, Ronan. We're in my study after all. Only refer to me by my title when we're on the Rift. Which I'm sure we'll see each other on soon enough,' Vessaria said with a smile.

'I hope so,' Ronan replied, keeping up his manners and polite tone. First impressions were important, especially in the presence of a summoner of Vessaria's rank.

'But tell me, Ronan. Your magic goes beyond that of common summoning spells, am I correct?'

Ronan nodded.

'How about you show me?' she said.

With a flick of her slender fingers, a small target made of smoke appeared in the air. 'Hit the mark,' she instructed. Ronan stood up and reached into the magical reserve at the back of his mind. He knew which of his powers he was going to show, the one he was most specialised in.

He felt the surge of electricity in his blood, weaving its way up his arm before gathering in his hand. He outstretched his palm, the magic swelling between his fingertips. He let it go, sending five strands of shock lightening at Vessaria's target. Immediately as the lines of electricity impacted the smoke, it dissipated into nothingness.

Vessaria raised an eyebrow. 'Impressive. Elemental magic I see?'

'Yes, Vessaria. Shock is my preferred element. But I can do a few others,' said Ronan. He raised a hand, flicking his thumb like a lighter and igniting a small flame. 'I find fire a little boring. Everyone uses fire magic.' With his free hand he shot a stream of water over the flame to douse it out. 'Water gets a little messy,' he smirked.

Vessaria watched with interest. 'Where did you learn that? Summoning schools wouldn't have taught you that.'

'No, they didn't,' Ronan admitted, still with flecks of magic orbiting his hand. 'I picked it up myself. The mage books I'd find in the school's library and around the marketplaces taught me a great many things,' he replied, secretly finding pride in Vessaria's admiration of his ability. He decided to refrain from showing her his spirit control, for now.

'Now then Ronan,' she said, standing up from the desk. 'There's one last thing I must take care of before you are welcomed as a summoner in the Institute of War.' Vessaria stood from her desk and gestured for Ronan to follow her. He walked around to the other side of the room where the large nexus crystal floated. 'Summoning magic of this level involves complete control and access over one another's minds. In the case of our organisation, you will be looking into the minds of your champion, while at the same time they will be looking into yours. It is how the connection works. I'm sure you're aware of this from your previous training?'

'Yes, Vessaria. It's never really been an issue for me,' he said, inspecting the crystal that hummed with energy.

'Perfect. So you do not mind me simulating the connection to ensure your mind is capable of it? I will see into your memories, but know that this is all conducted in confidence.'

'Of course. Please, go ahead.'

Vessaria smiled a motherly smile, before nodding to the nexus. 'Place your hand on the nexus. I will do the same and then we will be briefly connected. If you complete this without issue—as I'm sure you will—then I will be happy to personally welcome you into the Institute. When you're ready,' she said, placing her hand onto the crystal.

Ronan paused to take a moment to breathe before gently pressing his palm onto the icy smooth surface of the nexus. Instantly, a surge of energy shot into his mind and he felt the presence of the High Councillor amongst his memories. A void swirled in his purple eyes, smoky and unclear. He saw a projection of Vessaria as she sifted through the fog, before flashes of her own past melted into view. Her acceptance as a new summoner, her first match on the rift, her ascension through the ranks until he saw the day she accepted the role of High Councillor. While he felt intrusive seeing into this woman's past, she seemed willing to let him.

Once the echoes of her life faded away into dust, new images started to arise in his mind. Visions of his time in his previous college, the people he met and the creatures he summoned. But nothing more. As the connection tried to delve deeper into Ronan's past it found…nothing. Vessaria seemed confused, but at the same time hesitant to pry further. The initial connection was stable and his recent memories were perfectly intact.

The swirling void faded and Ronan's purple eye's focused back on Vessaria's study. Next to him, the High Councillor was looking at him with intrigue.

'Tell me, have you suffered some sort of injury that caused you to lose many of your memories? There did not seem much to explore in your mind.'

'No,' Ronan said. 'I haven't. I just don't seem to remember much further back than that.'

'I see. Well, please forgive me. Your mind is perfectly capable of controlling the magic we wield here. I'd like to be the first to honour you as our newest summoner,' she said, outstretching a hand for him to shake. He smiled, gripping her hand gently.

'Thank you, Vessaria. It is a great honour.'

'I'm glad you think so. Now, there is one little issue I need to raise with you regarding your residency in the Institute. There has been a mix-up with your accommodation and I'm afraid the original place we had reserved for you is not available. I have done some enquiries however, and I've managed to find you a space.'

'Oh, perfect. Thank you. Where will I be staying?' Ronan asked.

'It's within the champions area, the female champions residences to be precise.'

'Oh,' Ronan said, not sure entirely what to think of it at first. Being so close to the champions was perfect he decided, any chance to begin making connections before his matches on the Rift started was great for his reputation as a summoner.

'Is there a problem with that?' Vessaria asked.

'No, Vessaria. That sounds perfectly fine with me.'

Following his induction with the High Councillor, Ronan was given directions to the female champions living area and ultimately where he'd be staying while his quarters were rearranged. He'd also been provided with a proper set of summoner's robes, meaning that the other summoners wandering the halls of the Institute would finally talk back to him when he asked for help.

He milled around the corridors, hoping that he'd remembered Vessaria's directions correctly. He came down a long hallway, one that was better lit with natural light and decorated with more colour than the others he'd seen. One side opened out into a large outside courtyard filled with green flora and beautiful plants. Ronan could see that in the sky, the sun was setting and he was eager to find his room and get some sleep. He'd already been scheduled for a practice game first thing the next morning.

He stopped while he tried to work out which way to turn past the courtyard when a sultry voice broke him from his thoughts.

'What's this?' the silky feminine voice said. 'I haven't seen _you_ around here before.' There was girlish giggle accompanying her words as Ronan looked up. He was stunned to see that strutting her way over to him was a beautiful woman with cascading black hair and eyes of bright gold. She wore a thin revealing kimono with a distinctly Ionian design, fitting tightly to the curves of her alluring body. Ronan couldn't help but stare at her, noticing for the first time the nine fluffy white tails that stretched out behind her.

'I was just looking for the female champion's living quarters,' Ronan said honestly, hoping that perhaps she might be able to help him.

'Oh the female quarters? Aren't you a bold little one? Planning to waltz straight in their and capture the hearts of the most gorgeous women in Runeterra, were you? Well how about you start with the one right in front of you. Who might you be to want access to the women's quarters?'

The fox girl strutted right up to Ronan, running a slender finger down his jawline as her almost canine teeth nibbled on her lower lip.

'I'm a new summoner. Just joined. My room isn't ready yet so I'm going to be sharing with the female champions.'

She pursed her lips, golden eyes flaring with a lusty heat as she raised a black eyebrow. 'Oh how I like the sound of that. You're going to cause quite the stir for the girls looking like that. I'll have to fight them off you,' she said with teasing tones and the manicured nails of her hand resting on her chest. 'Or I could just take you for myself right now.'

Ronan was captured by the golden prison of her bright eyes, watching them as they slowly turned a shade of pink and doused with lust. He felt his muscles slowly relax and his senses focus on the smell of the girl in front of him. He longed to touch her, a strange urge to hold her and press his lips to hers. The warmth continued to rise in his core as she did not look away from him.

'There aren't many champions on the rift capable of charm magic,' he said, controlling the urges that she was pushing his body to feel. Instantly, she looked annoyed, pouting her lips as her eyes returned to their normal colour.

'Oh you're good,' she said, still admiring him. 'Even some of the best summoners here struggle to notice the effects of my charm, I'm impressed Summoner…?'

'Ronan,' he replied.

'Call me Ahri,' she said, taking a hold of his hand. 'I'll show you to the female quarters, don't you worry.'

It clicked in Ronan's head. Ahri was notorious amongst the champions for her flirtatious ways. He'd read her story and checked her abilities. Her charm magic was central for any summoner wanting to understand how to control her on the Rift. Maybe he'd have a chance to try her out sometime.

He let himself be dragged by the hand down the hall, admiring the white tails that emerged from Ahri's kimono. Eventually, she pushed a door open, bringing them into a large open area with comfortable looking couches with plush cushions and many doors leading off to other rooms. A large screen was set up at one end, surely to allow the champions to watch the ongoing matches.

'This is the common room,' Ahri announced. 'You'll spend a lot of time here. We definitely do,' she said with a wink. 'Girls! We've got a newbie,' she called out. A few doors opened and some champions poked their heads around their doors.

Ronan recognised a few of them immediately. His time studying the roster of champions was paying off now that he was starting to see them in the flesh. Irelia was the first to leave her room and come down to meet Ronan. She was easy to identify, mainly due to the six floating blades that followed behind her head. With the briefest movement of her hand, they would move to their master's will and swirl effortlessly through the air.

She came to stop in front of Ahri, looking Ronan up and down with baby blue eyes.

'What's this about, Ahri? Why is there a summoner here?' she asked.

'He's going to be staying with us, Irie!' Ahri chirped delightedly.

'I told you not to call me that. The blades might not miss you next time you do,' she said, moving past Ahri to greet Ronan. 'Irelia, Captain of the Ionian Guard, at your service.'

'Ronan,' Ronan replied, shaking Irelia's dainty hand, whilst watching her blades warily.

By the time he had met Irelia, other champions had turned up in the common room. He knew Ashe from the pictures of her he'd seen advertising the Institute, although the outfit she was wearing was totally new to him. She wore a bright red and gold corset that clung to her top half tightly, and her white hair had been curled with a heart clip keeping it together. She wore stockings on her legs and high heeled shoes that clacked on the floor.

Before Ashe had a chance to say hello, another familiar face raced up to Ronan, namely the young pyromaniac Annie.

'Tibbers doesn't like you!' she cried at him. 'He told me to burn you. Don't make me hurt you!' she said, with flames curling in her right hand. Her treasured bear Tibbers hung on her other arm, thankfully not unleashed like Ronan had seen during games on the Rift.

'Woah there, Annie,' Ashe said, taking the little girl by the hand and tugging away from Ronan. 'I'm sure Tibbers didn't say that. You aren't supposed to burn people off the Rift, remember?'

'Oh another summoner getting lost and trying to perve on the female champions, greeeeat,' another voice said, filled with angst. A girl with large fluffy ears much like Ahri's and several feather daggers between her fingers came and sat down lazily on one of the couches in the common room. She twirled the feathers idly around before throwing them so they stuck in the far wall.

'Come on Xayah, he's staying. Come and say hello,' Ahri said. The girl huffed, but showed no interest in coming over.

While Ronan was greeting the many champions, he did not notice that another door had opened and a white-haired girl carrying an extremely oversized sword on her back had come down. She walked past the welcoming party without so much as a look.

'Riven, aren't you going to say hello?' Ashe asked her. The girl turned, her white hair falling over her intense crimson eyes. She quickly looked at Ronan, before turning the door handle.

'I'm going to train,' she said flatly. She hauled her sword away and disappeared down the corridor.

Ahri snorted. 'You won't get much out of her. She's not a people person, Ronan,' she said.

'I see,' he replied. He kept his gaze on Riven as she left down the hall, watching her with interest.

There was definitely plenty to understand in the Institute, and Ronan was ready to learn.


	2. Chapter 2 - The Rift

**Chapter 2 - The Rift**

Ronan woke early on the first day of his games on the Rift. High Councillor Vessaria had sent the details to him and he'd made sure he was ready in plenty of time. He found his room at the end of the day after spending the evening getting to know some of the girls in the living area. His quarters were basic and functional, with only a few meagre bits of furniture, a large bed and space for him to live. He was sure the other champions had made themselves at home in their own rooms with decorations and mementos of their homelands, but wasn't sure whether he'd be in his room long enough to make it comfortable. The place Vessaria had originally planned for him to stay was still under construction. But still, he hoped he could call the room home for now.

With his summoner's robes on and an eager smile on his face, he left his room to get to his first match. A few of the girls were lounging in the common room when he passed and they glanced up to look at him. Irelia was sat on one of the couches wearing casual clothes, but still with her blades danced in the air behind her. She was chatting with Karma, another champion in the living area that Ronan had met the night before. The Duchess of Ionia smiled at him with warmth in her dark eyes and Irelia gave him a little wave.

'Good luck, Ronan,' he heard her say as he was leaving. He turned to give her a smile and say a quick thank you before he stepped out into the corridor. It was much emptier than it had been the night before when he'd been trying to find his way to the female champion's living area. As pale morning light seeped in through the many windows and the outdoor courtyard, Ronan made his way back into the area populated by the summoners on his arrival.

He found the viewing area for the Rift without much trouble. Vessaria had provided him with a map and since being in the Institute for a while, the winding corridors were starting to make a lot more sense. The High Councillor was waiting for him, hands together in the loose fabric of her long purple robe. She acknowledged him as he arrived, giving a dip of her head in greeting.

'Good morning Ronan. Glad to see your timekeeping skills are better than most of our new summoners,' she said, a small smile breaking through her owl-like features. 'Are you ready for your first time on Summoner's Rift?' she asked.

Ronan smiled. 'Very much so. Need to get familiar with it sooner or later if I'm going to be spending a lot of time there,' he said, looking out at the large projection of the Institute's most famous Field of Justice. The viewing area had a large magically powered representation of the Rift, where audiences could see the action from all angles. Ronan traced his gaze along the three lanes and through the weaving jungle. It was so much vaster than any of the small maps his previous college used. The opportunity for strategy was endless.

'You're impressed,' Vessaria said over his shoulder as he was occupied with the map.

'Definitely. The magic needed to run the fields and the matches is like nothing I've come across.'

'The Institute is a powerful place. One that has been developed by the greatest mages Runeterra has ever seen. It has to be, some of the champions we house here are dangerous. We have to curb their power.'

'I can't wait to try them all out,' Ronan said. He kept going back to the list of the available champions he had and wondered at the hundreds of abilities they all possessed. He knew that while most simply called the Institute their homes, there were some more bestial creatures that called it a prison. Void monsters and demons chained within the bowels of the place. They took someone with a mind of steel to summon and control. It would take him years of practice to work all the champions out, let alone master any of them.

'Yes well, you'll have to increase your reputation as a summoner if you wish to have the entire roster available for you. As a new entry, you'll only have a small selection to choose from to get started with. As you play matches, you'll have the opportunity to use some of the more specialist champions we have here,' said Vessaria.

Ronan thought for a moment, eagerly awaiting the day that he could choose from all the champions. He thought about the girls back at the living quarters and where they fit in. Ashe was one that the newer summoners favoured, that was for sure. Her ability and power level was quite straightforward, as was Annie's. Ahri, Irelia and Xayah were a little trickier. He'd have to work up to them.

'We'd like to get you started with some of the entry level champions today, just to get you used to the games. Come with me,' Vessaria instructed. Ronan followed in behind her as she led him to the main summoning platform. Five large enclosed capsules were set up for the five summoners on the team, and Ronan assumed that across the map there was another identical room for the enemy summoners. Vessaria gestured at one of the capsules, inviting him to stand there.

Once inside, Ronan found himself with a view of the fields that began to swirl in his mind. There was definitely more magic at work and the summoning went beyond simply connecting with an individual champion. It enveloped everything, the connection consumed his entire mind.

'Standing on the summoning platform will immediately begin the process of integrating you in the game. I'm sure you can probably already feel it,' Vessaria said to his left. Ronan couldn't see her anymore as visions of the Rift began to appear before him. 'Every game will start with choosing your champion. You should see the ones available to you.'

Images started to appear of a small selection of champions most of which Ronan was familiar with. Annie was there, as well as the Demacian brute Garen, the tattooed rune mage Ryze and a smattering of others. He noticed Ashe was among them and immediately decided he wanted to try her.

'I'll take Ashe,' he said.

'A good choice. Ashe is favoured among the new summoners. She's nice and simple. We use her for training the initiates as well, although we must update that at some point.'

As Vessaria was talking in his ear, the summoning ritual had begun and Ashe appeared within Ronan's ethereal view of Summoner's Rift. He saw her standing on the fountain wearing the same outfit he'd seen her in when they met the night before, but this time she had her bow in her hand.

' _Ronan, is that you?'_ he heard her ask once their telepathic connection was established.

' _Hey Ashe, yep it's me. Thought you'd be perfect to help me understand how champions work on the fields. You alright to practice with me in this game?'_ Ronan asked.

' _Of course!'_ she said happily, readying herself on the fountain and buying some items. ' _I'll help you through it. Some champions might need some prodding to do things like buy the right items or go to the right places on the map, but you'll get used to them.'_

' _So where do you normally go_?' Ronan asked, looking to his minimap at the three lanes.

' _In the bottom lane usually.'_

'Other summoners are loading in Ronan, ready yourself,' he heard Vessaria say. Before she had even finished speaking, four other champions appeared on the dais.

' _Who else have we got on our team?'_ Ronan asked Ashe. She seemed unperplexed by the sudden appearance of other champions warping into the game.

' _Looks like I'm going to be working with Soraka in the bot lane,'_ she replied. Ronan noticed the staff-wielding celestial, but she looked a little different to how he'd seen her before in her file. Her hair was a pale green and she wore a blue and white dress. Ronan was starting to realise that other outfits were available for summoners to dress their champions in, Ashe's red and white attire being one of them. ' _Then there's Xerath taking mid lane, Skarner's in the jungle and Darius is in the top lane.'_

Most of them were new to Ronan. Only one he had heard of was Darius, but that wasn't even from the League itself. Darius was notorious in his home state of Noxus as an executioner and a warlord on the battlefield. The Noxian invasion of Ionia had been plastered across the news while the campaign had been taking place. Darius' cruel and merciless bloodshed in the island nation was infamous. Ronan was glad he was on their team.

The game started and Ronan began to feel more comfortable with the mental connection. He didn't want to say it while Vessaria was looking over his shoulder, but he picked Ashe as he knew she would be willing to help him and guide him through the game without complaint. Some of the more temperamental champions were sure to give him grief due to his inexperience. He got to grips with controlling the champion in lane and aiding them to get the final hit on minions to increase their gold, while also trading effectively with the enemy team.

The opposing bot lane consisted of Ezreal and Janna. They were tricky for Ronan at first as the Prodigal Explorer's long range abilities were throwing him off, and whenever he tried to fight back the damage was simply negated by Janna's shielding ability. Some calm words from Ashe in his mind helped him to realise the best way to utilise her to respond to their advances. Soraka was proving a great help however in keeping Ronan alive. Her heals covered up any slips he had.

Skarner came into their lane at about ten minutes into the match, and his surprise attack helped them to secure a kill on Janna. Ronan was feeling confident, until they ventured off into the river. Suddenly, Ashe's path became cut off by a wall of stone before a rock erupted from beneath the earth. The damage was enough to send her back to the fountain, her body on the Rift suffering fatal damage.

' _I'm so sorry_ ,' Ronan said hurriedly over their connection once Ashe respawned in the fountain. ' _I didn't know what to do when that wall appeared it was just…I'm sorry,'_ he said, feeling guilty for getting her killed.

' _Don't worry Ronan. I don't think there was much we could have done there. Taliyah's got some strong abilities. Let's just keep going, we're doing well!'_

Ashe's reassuring words in her warming voice kept Ronan focused, but still he had a question lingering in his mind from the experience.

' _Does it…hurt when you die on the Rift?'_ he said hesitantly.

' _It does. But not as much as it would do in real life I'm sure. Don't think too much about it Ronan. It's what the League is about.'_

The match continued to go well for a while, but the enemy team started to group and before long, they found themselves being caught out. The timers in the death chamber were ramping up and so every respawn would cost them several objectives. With forty minutes of the match already on the clock, the two teams were at a stalemate, waiting for the other to make the first move. Awkward silence had come between Ronan and Ashe while they concentrated hard, and the other champions seemed hesitant about making any snap decisions. One misstep would cost the game.

Ronan had his eye on Ezreal. If he could find a way to kill off Ezreal, the rest would fall into place and there would be a clear way into their base. Ezreal was keeping the minions waves from getting too close and it meant there was no room for manoeuvre.

' _Ashe move back a bit. Leave your team for a second,'_ Ronan commanded. He knew she'd be confused by his instructions but hoped she'd trust him.

' _Back? Ronan, why? If I get caught away from the team, this could be over! We don't have vision of their jungler.'_

' _Trust me, Ashe. This will work.'_

He saw she was still a little reluctant, but soon moved back away from the rest of the team.

' _Perfect. They won't see it coming from back here.'_

' _Ronan what are you…'_

' _Fire your ultimate on my mark.'_

Ashe went silent as she waited for his command, her large enchanted crystal arrow gathering in the risers of her bow.

'… _hold it…hold…now, fire!'_

Ashe let the giant arrow fly through the air in the direction of the enemy team. It flew past her allies, soaring over their heads as a shard of true ice leaving behind a trail of frost. Ronan held his breath as he watched it go, predicting its trajectory while also keeping a close eye on the movements of the enemy team. He felt his heart sink as it looked like the enemy team's top laner Shen would take the arrow and leave little more than a graze on the tank. But just as the arrow came into their view, he took a step to the right, leaving a clear path through to Ezreal.

There was little the young explorer could do to stop the arrow from hitting him square in the chest and encasing him in ice. His arcane shift ability couldn't be cast while under the effects of the arrow's stun, and the increased range from Ashe's position had meant the stun was lasting a long time. The summoners on his team saw the opening and their shouts were audible to Ronan from their capsules. Their team moved in.

' _Pick him off Ashe, now!'_ Ronan cried.

A perfectly aimed critical strike hit the stunned enemy carry and with only minimal help from the rest of their team, Ezreal was down. After that, it was just the case of methodically working through the rest of the team. Xerath's arcane barrage picked them off as they ran. The announcer called for an ace.

As the purple light from the exploding nexus blazed before his eyes, Ronan felt the glee settle in his heart. He let out the breath he didn't know he was holding.

' _That was amazing, Ronan!'_ he heard Ashe say before the connection was cut off and the game finished.

Ronan and his fellow summoners were welcomed into the lounge after the game with cheers and open arms. There had been more people than he'd realized watching his first game. Summoners and champions alike had come, all of them finding the tense game to be more than they bargained for.

Ahri ran up to him and grabbed hold of him in a clumsy hug.

'You and Ashe were amazing there Ronan!' she said, leaning in and kissing him on the cheek. Ronan felt his face grow hot.

'Ha…thanks Ahri. It was a good game,' he replied with a stutter.

More champions and summoners patted him on the back and offered him their congratulations. The crowd parted as the enemy team joined the lounge and Ronan saw Ezreal walking briskly his way. At first Ronan was worried that the young explorer was going to be angry with him, but as he got closer he saw that Ezreal was smiling and his eyes were wide.

'Maaaan! That was crazy. You totally destroyed me in that last fight! I've never had my ass handed to me in a game like that before. Great job,' he said, offering a hand for Ronan to shake. 'Ezreal, by the way.'

'Ronan,' Ronan replied as their hands met.

'Well Ronan, you know I'm not gonna let something like that slip. I'll be straight back to give you another match once I've gotten over this one. Hey, how about you come down to the Piltover workshop some time? You're new right? I'll show you around.'

'That sounds great. See you there.'

Ezreal gave him a friendly nudge on the arm before leaving the lounge. As Ronan turned with the same intention, he bumped straight into Ashe coming the other way. She looked at him, instantly a smile finding its way onto her pale face. She hugged him tight.

'You were amazing,' Ronan said.

'Me?' she replied with a look of disbelief as they broke away. 'What about you with that arrow timing? I've never seen someone hit an arrow of mine so perfectly.'

'Well, you're the one that shot it. It was a great first game, that's for sure.'

'It definitely was.'

'Hey, listen. I'm going to hang out with Ezreal over at the Piltover workshop for a bit, but we'll hang out later though, yeah?'

'We better,' she said, still smiling.

Ronan made it to the Piltover workshop in the late afternoon. The games had taken up most of the day and he was exhausted, but he still really wanted to take up Ezreal's offer of looking around the work space he had. The explorer was very popular and definitely a hub of social activity amongst the champions. Getting to know him better would be great for making connections.

'Ronan, glad you could make it! This way, come meet the boys,' Ezreal said as he walked in. The workshop was a large open space near the male champions' living area with several work benches and shelves littered with hextech equipment. As Ronan walked in, the first thing he noticed was a large mass of yellow hair milling around the worktops. The little yordle carried a wrench in one hand and some sort of device in the other, whilst muttering something about evolution capacitors and hextech injectors.

'Heimer, come say hello,' Ezreal said to the small fuzzy yordle.

'Not now my boy, the eureka moment is not far away! All working according to my formula!' he said in a high pitched voice, jumping up to grab a tool from one of the tables. Ronan noticed that a small rocket was attached to the scientist's back. 'Science cannot be interrupted!'

'Dedicated to his work, our friend Heimerdinger,' Ezreal said.

'And quite the know-it-all,' a smooth male voice said from across the workshop.

'That's Jayce over there,' Ezreal said, pointing to the man working at one of the stations. He had a large hextech hammer laid over the worktop, the hum of energy and sparking electricity emanating from the device. Jayce turned around and pulled his glove off to shake Ronan's hand. 'Piltover's resident heartthrob that one,' Ezreal commented.

'Someone's got to keep the people happy,' Jayce said with a charming smile on his handsome face. 'May as well be a pretty one.'

'What are you working on, Jayce?' Ronan asked, stepping over to inspect the large weapon on the table.

'His pride and joy,' Ezreal said. 'His little baby.'

'Little?' said Ronan. The hammer looked to be taller than him.

'Well little might be an undershot,' Jayce admitted.

'He's compensating,' Ezreal whispered to Ronan. He smirked.

'Damn thing isn't working though. Those modifications I did last night Ez aren't getting enough power. They need a kickstart,' Jayce said, leaning in and probing a hextech spanner into the exposed circuitry.

'Not as clever as you think you are, Jayce? Let me have a look,' said Ezreal, stepping forward and checking over the Defender's work. He poked a finger in to try and move around some of Jayce's wiring before a loud bang sounded and a cloud of yellow imbued smoke rose into the air. Ezreal jumped back in fright.

'Heh…yeah isn't working is it?'

'Let me have a look,' said Ronan. 'You said it needed a power jumpstart, right?'

'Yeah, but we haven't got an energy source here that has enough power to get it going. Not even Mr. Explorer's gauntlet over there is strong enough.'

Ronan leant in and saw the component that needed the energy. He reached into his elemental reserve in the back of his mind and wielded his shock magic. Controlling it in his hand, he waited until it had grown enough to send a powerful surge through the device. As his finger came into contact with it, the whole hammer jolted up into the air. He worried it was going to short circuit again, but in an instant it began to whir with life.

Jayce looked on with wide eyes. 'Woah, what did you do?'

'Just a little bit of shock magic,' Ronan said.

'You can use elemental magic as well? You may as well apply to be a champion,' Ezreal laughed. Jayce picked up his prize hammer with elation.

'I owe you one, that's for sure,' Jayce said. 'I'll get you a drink in the lounge one time.'

'Or wait, I've got an idea,' said Ezreal, running off to rummage through one of the draws in the workshop. He pulled out what looked like a shard of black obsidian, but Ronan saw as he got closer that it was actually a sword. 'Found it whilst I was in Shurima recently. Not sure where exactly it's from or whether its worth anything at all, but here have it.'

Ronan looked at the sword in Ezreal's hands. 'Really? I can have it?' The black edge was sleek and reflected the light. Along the body were several etched runes, though no light shone through them like he'd seen with other swords.

'Yeah take it. Reward for beating me so bad and fixing Jayce's hammer,' said Ezreal.

There was something about it though that made Ronan pause. He felt like he'd seen it before somewhere, but couldn't quite place a finger on it. When Ezreal offered it to him and he held it by the handle, its weight felt familiar. Ezreal could see that he looked slightly dazed.

'You alright, Ronan?'

Ronan broke from staring at the sword. 'Yeah. I'm fine. Thanks Ezreal.'

* * *

 **Hey all, Geist here.**

 **Thought I'd chime in as we're a couple of chapters in now. This is a commissioned story that I've been working on recently as a sort of homage to the many summoner x champion stories that existed before the lore got reworked. I'm definitely finding it really refreshing to delve back into using the Institute as a backdrop. I've got plenty of lemons planned for this story so don't worry, they will come. It's not going to be entirely smut based, but will have a fair few citrusy scenes. The aim is to update it weekly, but I am a busy bloke these days so there may be hiatuses.**

 **With that said, I'd like to say that my commissions are still open for one-shot M/F or F/F smut stories. Just drop me a message if you're interested.**

 **Thanks for reading.**


	3. Chapter 3 - The Exile

**Chapter 3 – The Exile**

Ronan sat on the edge of his bed. A half moon had risen in the night sky outside his window, hiding behind the wisps of thin cloud. The nights were drawing in and the summer days were soon fading into memory. But his mood was not downcast with the coming of winter. His time at the Institute was proving to be everything that he had hoped for and the champions had made him feel very welcome already.

He thanked whoever's fault it was for not getting his room ready in time. The girl's dormitory was so much better. He'd see the female champions he shared the living space with in the morning as they cooked and ate breakfast, he'd laugh and joke with them on the couches in the common room and there was always someone he could strike up a conversation with. He started to show off his powers a little bit, more so for humour's sake than anything else. Toasting the top of Irelia's pancakes or squirting water in Annie's face when she threatened to lob a fireball at his head. It was all part of being in their group.

He smiled as he thought of the fun he'd had already within the ranks of the summoners, but his mind was still rushing with confused thoughts. Resting in the palms of his hands as he sat on the edge of his bed, Ronan looked over the strange black sword Ezreal had given him that afternoon. Every time his eyes wandered along the curve of its edge, he found himself feeling that the reason it felt familiar would come to him, like a name on the tip of his tongue. But he never was able to work it out. The runes, though carved from bright green stone, did not hum with any life and remained dead and empty. The blade itself however, was quite vicious. He'd already tried it out a couple of times with a few practice swings and Ahri had managed to nick her finger with it when he'd left it out one time.

The sword seemed to call to him, and Ronan felt ready to answer it. His elemental powers were who he was, but having an iconic weapon by his side would make him stand out a little more. _If only I knew how to use it_ , he thought to himself with a sigh. He was no Master Yi with a blade, not a practiced and disciplined swordsman. He was a mage with no understanding of the weapon. He'd have to learn, and with the connection this particular sword was giving him, it had to be soon.

Ronan stood up quickly, settling into a stance with the sword levelled in front of him. His eyes, though not trained for swordsmanship, kept the blade perfectly in line. He gave a it a swing, feeling it cut beautifully through the air. The metal itself was sleek and thin and took little effort to move. He spun around and sent another cut at an imaginary enemy behind him, almost grazing his bed with the tip. There wasn't enough space in his room to train.

Ronan moved towards the door, thinking that a little more exploring of the Institute was in order. Forgetting that it was the middle of the night, Ronan quietly left his room making sure the door didn't make too much noise as it closed. He walked through the corridor and down the few stairs into the common room. A few bags of half-eaten snacks sat on the table and some empty glasses were strewn around from one of Ahri's many get-togethers she regularly hosted.

Leaving the residency, Ronan found himself in an eerily quiet hallway leading into the main part of the Institute. He consulted his map as he left, trying to find the right place among the maze of rooms on the page. He'd heard about the training rooms from Irelia as she quite often spent her mornings there. She had offered to show him. He wished he'd taken her up on the that offer now.

With the sword sheathed under his robe in a thin scabbard he had been given, he continued in what he hoped was the right direction. Beyond the summoning chambers and the magical space that contained the several fields the games were played on was the training grounds. An area of the Institute dedicated to developing each and every skill required in being a summoner or a champion.

Stepping into this new section of the complex, Ronan made a point to stay away from any of the rooms that required the manipulation of magic to run their simulations. It wasn't the time to be meddling with summoning magic or training some portion of his arcane ability. That was asking for trouble. Most of the rooms needed security access for him to get in anyway, which he didn't have just yet. Perhaps Vessaria would be willing to show him around them one time. Ronan decided to keep his sights set on the physical training rooms. Gyms and dojos were available for the champions to continue to hone their skills with their chosen weapons or have a space to simply work out.

Ronan had never really taken the time to get into using a gym regularly. The place was normally populated by the kind of people he didn't want to associate with at his previous college. People more interested in vanity than discipline in their training. But he had always wanted to find a place he could train that was quiet and isolated. Most of the exercise he did to stay in shape was conducted in the privacy of his bedroom.

The amount of rooms in the Institute meant that they couldn't all be occupied, especially not in the middle of the night. He opened a door into what he assumed would be a sword training room judging by the emblem on the door, and sure enough when he entered he could hear the clang of steel. He was a little put out that his solitude was going to be interrupted, but he didn't want to be impolite.

As he turned the corner though, he caught a flash of white hair and the swing of a greatsword aimed at a training dummy's head. With a shout of exertion, the dummy suffered a fatal blow as the giant sword cleft it straight down the middle, sending straw innards spewing onto the floor. Ronan watched as the sword was reset back and its wielder stood at ease. He recognised her as she turned and shot him a glare with intense crimson eyes. Strands of platinum hair had fallen over her face and a sheen of sweat glistened on her brow.

'Oh…I'm sorry,' Ronan said, slightly unnerved as she stared at him. 'I'll go somewhere else.'

'No,' she said flatly, halting him as he went to move. He saw her hard expression fall as the sword in her hand fell to her side. 'Come in. There's enough room in here for us both. Ronan was hesitant to step beyond the threshold and into the training room, but eventually she took a step back to allow him in.

Ronan was wary as he made it into the room and found a space with some unused training dummies to practice on. He wanted to give Riven enough space, while staying close enough to hopefully strike up a conversation with her. Since seeing her on his first day, Ronan was fascinated by the quiet solitary life she lived. As he got ready to train, he felt a little awkward knowing that Riven's eyes were still upon him as he drew the blade from the sheath under his robe. The sword still felt a little clumsy in his grip and he had little idea of how to actually use it. Riven was an expert, he knew that from her champion description and she'd immediately notice him being a novice.

He settled himself into a made-up combat stance and tentatively gave a few practice swings in the vague direction of the dummy. His first swing made the blade connect at an odd angle and lodge itself in the straw body of the dummy. He had to yank it out before he could take another swing. Riven hadn't resumed her training and was obviously watching him with judging eyes.

'It was Riven, wasn't it?' Ronan asked, trying to bring up a conversation to keep her from analysing his inexperienced sword work too much. He saw her nod her head briefly. She had a much shyer temperament than most of the women he'd encountered, especially girls like Ahri who were throwing themselves at anyone they met. Riven was calm and collected, but seemed timid amongst company. He didn't want to scare her, but the silence between them was becoming awkward.

'You're Ronan,' she eventually said. 'You're sharing our quarters, aren't you?'

'That's right,' Ronan replied. 'Though I haven't had much of a chance to talk to you yet.'

Riven looked away from him, crimson eyes falling to the floor. 'I'm not there much, or if I am I prefer to be in my room.'

Ronan went back to his improvised training regime, but found every swing he tried the sword kept getting stuck in the dummy and he had to clumsily pull it out before trying for another swing. As he went to try again, Riven stopped him by placing a hand on the cross guard of the blade.

'Try it like this,' she said calmly, standing by his side. With her hand guiding his, she brought the blade up and then allowed it to glide through the air at a more natural angle, lightly grazing the dummy's chest but still with enough force to cut a deep slice right through the material. She was only guiding his hand slowly through the air, but the sword had left a huge mark.

'Woah,' he said in surprise at how much damage he'd caused.

'It's not the blade to be hacking with,' she said. Her finger slid up along the curve of its edge. 'You've got to be lighter with a sword like this. Work on getting your technique down before you try and build speed into it. If you want to chop through your enemies like a woodcutter, you need a sword like mine,' she said, bringing up her broken greatsword for him to look at. It was as wide as a shield with a large metal handle as long as Ronan's arm. The blade itself appeared to be made of dark stone with carved green runes. They looked similar to the markings on his own sword, but hers were pulsing and beating with life.

Before he had more of a chance to look at it, Riven had swung her arm in a wide arc, perfectly cleaving the dummy's head off in a brutal strike. It hit the floor and rolled to touch the edge of Ronan's boot.

'Wow,' he said, more to himself. Riven didn't exactly appear hugely strong, but she swung the heavy blade like it was made of air. Sure, her body was toned and military fit from the quick glances he'd shot her way, but the strength she possessed was more like that of a man twice her size. Riven walked over to a small rune symbol on the wall and with a simple press, the dummies all magically repaired themselves.

'I can't even imagine the damage you could do with that sword when it was full size. How did it break?' Ronan asked. The shattered remain that Riven wielded told stories of a blade that must have been nearly seven feet in length. As he spoke though, Riven started to look uncomfortable. She held the sword tightly in her grip, laying a hand on its side as if to keep it safe.

'I…I broke it myself,' she said with a stutter in her words. 'A long time ago.'

'Why did you do that?'

'To cover up her own weakness,' a deep masculine voice said from the doorway. Ronan immediately span around to see the hulking form of a large man stood at the entrance. Leaning against the doorway, the man was bulging with muscles, his black hair slicked back with a streak of grey at the front. These were all indications to Ronan as to who it was interrupting their conversation, but the presence of a hugely large axe by his side was the main give away.

Darius stomped into the room, ditching his usual war-worn Noxian armour for light training attire. Ronan felt himself falter as the giant man advanced on him. The black sword was still poised within his grasp, yet he knew he'd never be prepared to use it. Especially not against a champion like Darius. While he knew most champions wouldn't try attacking a summoner in the Institute, he wasn't sure when it came to someone as infamous as the Hand of Noxus. He sensed Riven standing behind his shoulder.

'Still you won't let go of that worthless splinter of a weapon,' Darius said, his dark eyes aimed at Riven and a scowl on his face. 'Shattered and broken. Just about as effective as it looks. Much like it's owner.'

'It is what I am Darius, a part of me. I'd be a fool to let go of my past,' said Riven, glaring back with her fringe across her eyes. 'But I am not _that_ anymore. I've moved on from what Noxus did to me. One day you might see what it has done to you too.'

Darius gave a deep bellowing laugh. 'Look at you with your sword broken and the remains of Noxian armour sitting on your shoulder. You're a mockery of what you used to represent, Riven. To think we saw strength in you,' he tutted. 'Until you give up on your mindless soul-searching and answer for your desertion, you'll never find an ounce of peace.'

With his aggressive words, Darius took another step forward, and with it Ronan took another step to cover Riven and stand in the warlord's path.

'Relax Darius. The Institute isn't the place for past grudges,' said Ronan. Darius looked at him with disgust.

'And what would some lowly summoner know of Noxus? Stop running your mouth on other people's business. Don't stand up for something you nothing about, boy.'

Ronan gripped the black blade tight in his grip. Darius looked down at it and snorted.

'What are you going to do with that thing? Poke me? You couldn't wield a weapon if you tried, weakling. Stick to your poncey magic. Leave the weapons to the strong,' said Darius, hauling the massive axe into the air as if to prove a point. 'Now, stand aside and let me speak with my countryman. She has a lot to answer for.'

'Riven doesn't want to talk to you, nor do we want a fight,' Ronan struggled to keep any power in his words while faced with the Noxian brute, but he did it for Riven's sake.

With nothing more than a disapproving harrumph, Darius stood forward and pushed Ronan aside with a meaty hand. Ronan raised the black sword in his grip, attempting to threaten the possibility of a strike. Darius reacted immediately, swinging his axe in a wide arc and catching the sword in the crook of the axe's curve. It seized the weapon from Ronan's grip, disarming him and sending his blade clattering across the training room floor.

'Now, out of my way worm,' Darius said and beat Ronan hard in the chest with the pommel of the massive axe. Ronan felt all the air leave his lungs and his ribs felt like they had shattered from the impact. Darius stomped on past him in Riven's direction. She didn't run or try and move but held her ground and stared him straight in the eye.

'You showed up here to speak with me, yet you still bring this idiot for protection? You're worse than I thought,' Darius said, grabbing Riven by the jaw. 'Whoring yourself out to summoners.'

'I didn't do anything of the sort. I don't even know this summoner. I just came to train,' said Riven tightly, not struggling in Darius' grip but holding her resolve in his presence.

'Ready your weapon then,' Darius challenged her, his axe shifting impatiently in his grip. 'Let's train.'

Riven held her sword by her side, but kept it pointed to the ground. 'I'm not fighting you Darius. You don't have to resort to using force to get what you want, that's just what Noxus drilled into you. There's more to strength than winning a fight,' Riven said.

Darius' eyes were filled with rage at her speaking to him, especially lecturing him on the topic of strength. The Noxian mantras could not be broken in Darius' mind, any deviation was weakness. Riven yelped as he backhanded her across the face, sending her sprawling on the floor. With her hand covering the flaring red mark on her cheek, Darius leant down and pulled her up to look at him by the collar of her wrappings.

'Don't you dare think you are in any place to talk to me about strength, deserter. I know weakness, I see it right here,' he said. With a booted foot, he kicked Riven hard in the stomach. She cried out again. 'See? I know what you are, girl. Nothing. Broken like that sword you mindlessly swing.'

Darius went to hit her again, but as he raised his hand his body immediately seized up in convulsing shakes. His axe made a thunderous clang as his grip was lost and it hit the ground.

Ronan's hand was outstretched with flickers of electricity still dancing around his fingertips. The surge of shock magic he'd sent Darius' way had stopped him hitting Riven, but once he recovered from the shakes he turned to Ronan with red anger flaring in his eyes.

Ronan had little time to react whilst still clutching his ribs on the floor of the training room. Darius' fist met him square in the temple sending black spots across his vision. He could hear Darius yelling curses at him before he felt the large man stomp past him in the direction of the exit.

His vision continued to blur, but he made out Riven's white hair as she came to stand over him.

But then, everything went black.


	4. Chapter 4 - Better Healing

**Chapter 4 – Better Healing**

 _ ***Short lemon at the end of this chapter**_

Ronan's vision blurred and his body felt broken, but he knew he'd been carried away after blacking out. His head throbbed from the impact of Darius' fist and he could feel his own blood running slowly down his face. With each pulse of his heartbeat, he felt the pain hit him again as if for the first time.

He knew it was Riven who had picked him up. Her white hair tickled his cheek as she lifted him up and his face was lost in the wrappings she wore as she carried him away. Her arms were strong and his weight was hauled in her grip through the Institute until they made it back into the female living quarters. By which time, Ronan had passed out again.

It was not until pale light seeped in through the window that Ronan stirred and finally woke up. He was laying in a comfortable bed identical to his own, but as he opened his eyes and looked around, he noticed that the room itself was unfamiliar. The walls were decorated with a few tapestries, some bearing the wings of the Noxian emblem. The room was more furnished than Ronan's, with a large wardrobe and a chest of drawers. It felt more like someone had lived there a long time compared to Ronan's room. There was more character to its space and felt more welcoming. On the far wall, still humming with a little bit of life was Riven's broken greatsword.

He groaned as he woke, the pain in his body returning. Riven came across the room and perched herself by the bedside. He looked up at her, finding her wearing the same clothes as before and appeared to have not slept at all. He tried to speak but found he couldn't really make any words come out of his mouth, just incoherent mumblings.

'Shh,' he heard Riven say softly. Wringing out a cloth, she dabbed it to Ronan's forehead and the wound on his face. He tensed as the contact of the wet cloth met the raw skin, but the coolness of the water was soothing to his pain. 'Don't try and move.'

Riven's voice helped him slip back into a dreamless sleep as the balm on his wounds willed his mind to rest. When he awoke again, the morning light had turned orange with the day glow. He didn't know exactly how much time had passed. Looking to his side, Riven was gone. He gazed blearily around the room in search, until he saw her from behind stood by the doorway. She was holding the door open and talking with someone. Once his vision had focused, he saw it to be Soraka with her staff in hand. Riven allowed the Starchild into her room.

Soraka stepped up to the bed, kneeling down and studying Ronan's injuries. 'Soraka?' he said. She gave him a warming smile, but didn't say anything back. Riven looked over the Starchild's shoulder.

'Soraka's going to heal your injuries Ronan, but you're still going to have to stay there for a while.'

'Why?' he asked weakly, as Soraka leant down to inspect the graze on his forehead more closely.

'The healing process will take longer than the instantaneous healing you experienced on the Rift. My magic is not quite that efficient without the aid of the Rift's augments,' Soraka said in her tranquil voice. 'You'll still need to take some time to rest and gain back your full strength.'

Ronan was a little disappointed at the news, choosing to huff and shift uncomfortably in Riven's bed.

'Alright, that's okay,' he said. 'Go ahead.'

Soraka gave another gentle smile, before raising her staff and lightly touching her hand to Ronan's forehead. Immediately, Ronan felt a surge of energy emanating from her touch and his skin started to tingle. She repeated the same process on his chest, Ronan wincing from the pressure on his cracked ribs. He couldn't deny that the warmth of the Starchild's hand on his bare skin gave a pleasurable sensation, but the course of the magic soothing his broken skin was even more gratifying.

There was a long silence while Soraka worked. Her vibrant eyes had closed in concentration while green energy swirled around her hands and the top of her staff. Riven watched with both interest and concern from over her shoulder, and every now and then Ronan's purple eyes would meet Riven's crimson.

Soraka stood up once she was finished, appearing as if the use of her magic had somewhat weakened her. 'You should start to feel better now, Ronan. The magic will take away the pain and speed up the healing process tenfold. Just let it do its work and you will be on your feet in no time.'

'Thank you, Soraka,' Ronan replied, trying his best to sit up in the bed. Riven pointed firmly at him.

'Lie back down, I'm not having you hurt yourself again,' the white-haired girl said. She turned to the Starchild. 'How long do you think it will take for him to get completely better? So that no one can notice he was injured at all.'

Soraka furrowed her brow as she considered the question. 'Probably another twelve hours. By tomorrow morning there won't be a scratch. The magic will start slow while he is weak, but will grow with good rest.'

Riven smiled and gave a nod of her head. 'Thanks Soraka. You've really helped us both out. I owe you a favour.'

'Think nothing of it Riven. But may I ask, what did happen for Ronan to sustain such injuries?'

Riven and Ronan looked awkwardly at one another and neither was sure whether to speak up. Before Ronan could say anything, Riven spoke up.

'A silly misunderstanding. But I would appreciate you not telling anyone about this, Soraka. It would only cause unnecessary trouble.'

'Of course, Riven. Forgive me for being nosy.' Soraka gave a dip of her head and turned to leave. 'I hope you make a quick recovery Ronan.'

'Thank you again, Soraka,' Ronan said with a polite smile, already beginning to feel the effects of the magic coursing through him. He felt strong enough to stand and move around, but Riven's insistence on him resting kept him in bed.

'It is my pleasure, Ronan. You can always come to me for aid.'

Riven opened the door for Soraka and the Starchild stepped into the hall. Once she had left, Ronan looked to Riven who came and sat by his bed again.

'Why can't Soraka know it was Darius? Why can't she tell anyone? We could get him reported to Vessaria for what he did. We didn't provoke him, he just attacked,' said Ronan.

'I had already asked Darius to come and talk with me that night. He was surely going to be on a short fuse considering what there is between us. Noxus wants me to answer for my crimes. For deserting them and exiling myself. They would see me executed for what I did,' said Riven, her hands wringing uncomfortably in her lap.

'That's barbaric. It's been years since you were a part of Noxus, right?'

Riven nodded, but also gave a slight shrug. 'It's how Noxus is. It's how their society is built. Desertion is more than a terrible crime to them. It's weakness.'

'But not worthy of death. So Darius wanted to negotiate terms with you about that?'

Riven gave a weak laugh. 'Perhaps "negotiate" is an optimistic word. I think he actually wanted me to drag me by the neck to General Swain and have me confess then and there. You must see though Ronan, it's the Institute that's keeping me safe from that. With the status I have as a champion, the crimes of my past and the politics of Noxus do not affect me. While here, they can't touch me. If I reported what Darius did and for whatever reason I ended up being accused myself, I could lose that status. They could throw me out and I'd be free for them to haul me to the executioner. It's best that it remains secret, trust me.'

'If you're sure, Riven. I wouldn't want to do anything that put you at risk,' said Ronan, shifting in the bed. He kept glancing down at the bruising on his sides where his ribs had been hit, running a hand over the sore skin to feel whether the magic was stopping the pain. It still stung, but even from Soraka having healed him only minutes ago, it was much better already.

'Stay here. Don't go outside of this room in case anyone spots you. Even if it's getting better, it still looks pretty bad. I don't want people asking questions, especially someone like Ahri. Half the Institute will know if she found out,' said Riven, standing up and heading across the room. She walked over to her greatsword that was hanging on the far wall. As her hand came into contact with the hilt, the green runes pulsed with life. 'I've got a couple of matches today, but I'll be back later. You better still be here when I get back and not wandering around the Institute,' she said sternly.

'If you insist,' Ronan said, slightly disappointed that he had to spend the entire day staying away from everyone on his own.

'I do insist. There's food in the other room. Take whatever you want. I'll be back later.'

Ronan found the day passed very slowly once Riven had left. He allowed himself time to rest on Riven's orders, but found once Soraka's magic had mostly taken its course, he became restless and bored of lying in bed. He got up and though it made him feel nosy, he wandered around Riven's home inspecting how the Exile lived.

Her home was tidy and fairly minimal in the possessions she seemed to have. The simpler life was reflected in the empty cupboards and wardrobe. Riven apparently owned no items to remind her of special people in her life, nor had anything from her childhood. Everything was functional and played a role in maintaining the hard exterior she displayed in the Institute.

Eventually Ronan became hungry and went in search of food. As expected, the refrigerator and food shelves had minimal offerings. Just basics like bread, cheese and some meat but even they had been reduced down to the size of military rations.

 _Never allows herself a moment of enjoyment, does she?_ Ronan thought as he walked aimlessly back into her bedroom and sat on the bed. He sighed, finding that he was still rather bored. He glanced up to the wall where a stand had been attached for Riven's ludicrously large sword to sit on the wall. Below it, there was a bookshelf that Ronan had not been able to see from the bed. A few large tomes were stacked up against the wall, all old and dusty.

He picked the first one up, finding it to be a military strategy guide concerned with the tools and weapons of war. _The Warhosts of Noxus: A Guide to Noxian Steel_ , Ronan read on the cover. Riven obviously wasn't one for story books. The other books looked like more of the same.

He flicked through the pages, scanning over the large amounts of text without actually reading anything. There were pencil drawings of many swords and shields used by the Noxians over the ages, most of which bore some resemblance to the weapons Ronan had seen Noxian champions wielding on the fields. He turned a page and saw a drawing of a sword very similar to Riven's, with the same carved runes along its side. There was a section on how the runes were used and Ronan began to read.

" _The Noxian sorcery runes often built into the framework of the blackstone greatswords were actually ancient Ionian in their design and took many hours of Noxian research to discover how to contain their magic within the blades. Ionia refused to be associated with the project."_

 _Ionian, huh?_ Ronan thought to himself. He found his black sword in its sheath by the bedside and pulled it out. The runes on it looked so similar to the ones in the drawing and on Riven's sword, but the language they were written in was slightly different. Maybe a variation of the Ionian language. Ronan was eager to find out exactly why this sword had such an effect on his mind. Perhaps he would speak with Irelia or Karma and see if they knew anything about it.

The sound of Riven's front door opening broke him from his thoughts and Riven came in. Her face was slightly and covered with a film of dried sweat. Her white hair was unkempt and messy and she was obviously tired. She didn't pay Ronan much attention aside from a quick nod and made straight for the bathroom.

Ronan listened to the shower running while waiting to talk with Riven, with hope that she'd let him leave. His injuries weren't noticeable anymore, even he was starting to forget about them. But when Riven emerged from the steam of the bathroom, his thoughts were directed elsewhere.

Riven stepped out having lost her usual wrappings and remains of her Noxian armour and began to sort through her drawers wearing only a pair of shorts and some bandages wrapped around her chest. She didn't seem bothered at by Ronan's presence in her state of undress and carried on without caring.

'Good matches?' Ronan asked, attempting to engage the Exile who up until then had not said a word to him.

'Frustrating,' she stated flatly, pulling something out from one of the drawers. She turned to him and Ronan struggled to keep his gaze from tracing the gentle muscles in her stomach and the many scars that littered her tanned skin. The wrappings she usually wore didn't flaunt the femininity in her form, but there was no hiding it while her skin was on show. 'We came back from losing the early game pretty hard, but still it felt like I was surrounded by idiots. We could have been miles ahead if the mid laner and jungler didn't keep getting caught out. I was the only one warding it seemed,' Riven said, throwing her clothes from the day in the laundry.

'If it's any consolation, I didn't leave at all. Been here all day,' said Ronan politely with a smile. Riven stopped what she was doing and looked at him. A smile broke through her hard exterior and for a moment, Ronan was struck by the thought of how attractive it made her look.

She walked over and sat next to him on the bed. Her crimson eyes were glancing at what was in his hand, noticing it to be the Noxian military book. His black sword was also still in one hand.

'I'm guessing that sword isn't yours considering how you were swinging it last night. Not something you've trained with before?' she asked. Ronan laughed, looking at the blade.

'I'm not a swordsman, I'm a mage,' he said. 'I haven't got the first idea how to use something like this. But Ezreal gave it to me as a present and for some reason I can't get it out of my head. These runes seem familiar, but I don't know what they say.'

Ronan offered the sword to Riven who slipped it out of its sheath and looked it over.

'These aren't Noxian runes, although they have been styled to look that way. Looks more Ionian to me,' she said, handing the blade back to him.

'Yeah. I was thinking of asking Irelia about them. If I can just find out why this sword has meaning to me, I might be able to work out a bit more about myself,' Ronan said, finding his word hanging a little heavier in the air than he meant. Riven listened intently and noticed his despondence.

'More about yourself? You must know where you came from,' she said. Ronan gave a shake of his head.

'I can go back to my old school days, but past that there's just…nothing. Like my head's been wiped somewhere along the line. I can't make any connections. This sword's been the first thing I've come across that stands out to me. I've got to find out where it came from.'

'Didn't Ezreal say?'

'He said he found it in Shurima. But it definitely isn't Shuriman, and the amount of stuff that gets smuggled through the desert means it could have come from anywhere,' said Ronan.

'I guess so…' Riven said, sounding as if she had fallen into thought, but soon an awkward silence stretched between the two of them. 'I…wanted to thank you again for what you did last night,' Riven finally said into the quiet as they sat side by side. 'With Darius.'

'Think nothing of it,' Ronan said with a smile. Riven shifted on the bed so she was turned towards him, shuffling a bit closer. She tugged on his arm so that he looked at her directly.

'I do think something of it, Ronan,' she said with more power in her words and a new intensity in her crimson eyes. Ronan met the stare, his own purple eyes sinking into their deep colour. 'No one in all the years I've been here has done something like that, let alone stand up for me on their own terms. It…it meant a lot.'

Ronan could see that Riven's hand had reached from his and soon the warmth of her fingers was resting on the back of his palm. He shifted himself as to hold onto her properly, his hand coming up to support her shoulder.

'I may not know you well enough yet Riven, but I wouldn't have left you to Darius. Even to an outsider it was clear you were being harassed by him. I don't care what happened in your past with Noxus. That doesn't mean anything to me,' Ronan said, giving her arm a gentle squeeze.

Riven smiled again from behind her white fringe that had fallen in front of her eyes. Ronan was happy to see her show a better mood and was intending to go back to his room, before Riven held onto him tightly with her grip finding its way around his neck. Before Ronan had any chance to react, Riven had pulled him into a kiss.

The angle was awkward in the way that they were sitting on the bed, but immediately Ronan fell into the sensation of his lips pressed to Riven's. Hers were softer than he had expected and Ronan enjoyed the feeling of her close to him. He could smell the freshness of her skin from the shower and his hand wandered down to settle on her bare side.

The kiss grew more passionate and though Ronan's mind was seized in the moment, he found no resistance in letting Riven do as she pleased. Before long, she had fallen back onto the bed, her head hitting the pillow. Still with their lips locked, Ronan crawled over her, engaging in another round of duelling her lips. In the briefest moment where they finally broke away, Ronan's gaze washed over her face, finding her to carry all the savage beauty of a warrior.

'I hoped you'd enjoy that,' she whispered to him with his face only inches away from hers. Ronan looked like he'd been slapped in the face.

'I think we need to do it again just so I can be sure it happened,' Ronan replied. Riven giggled, her hand on his jaw and closing the gap between them again. While he was distracted with the kiss, Riven tugged him around so that their positions were switched and it was Ronan who was laying on the bed with Riven on top of him. She locked her thighs around his legs, sitting in his lap. Instinctively, Ronan's hands wandered over the smoothness of her middle before daring to settle around her rear.

His mind raced with nervous and anxious energy, but was determined to enjoy the moment and please whatever it was that Riven expected from him. There was a fire in her crimson eyes, sultry yet loving as she leant down and kissed him again, this time trailing her lips down his neck. He twitched at her hands that had slipped under his shirt and were attempting to pull it off of him. It came off, bearing his lean muscled torso to Riven's eyes. He felt self-conscious at being so exposed to her, but the hunger in her gaze told him all he needed to know. She was enjoying it.

With her still in his lap, Ronan raised himself up to hold her around the small of her back. He pulled at her bandaged chest where they were tied behind her back and it fell free, revealing her breasts in full. Covered in a few scars, Riven's breasts were larger than they had appeared and were just as tanned as the rest of her. Hesitantly, with his heart beating in his ears, Ronan met the peak of her right breast with his mouth. Riven jolted with the pleasure and let out a small mew at his tongue running circles over her nipple. He palmed the other breast before slipping beneath her shorts.

The movements seemed a little too much for Riven who pulled away, pressing a hand to Ronan's chest and pushing him down to the bed. His mind then became aware at her fingers fishing into his pants and brushing against his erection that had grown in their activity.

'Wait…Riven,' he stopped her. She looked at him. 'I've never done this before,' he admitted. He was worried about whether he should tell her, wondering if it would at all be seen as a problem. She leant down to him.

'Just tell me if you want to stop,' was all she said before going back to him and pulling the clothes of his bottom half to free his hardening cock.

If any words had come to him, they were soon silenced by the feeling of Riven's warm hands around his head, slowly stroking his length and running a thumb over the tip. He felt the pleasure growing immediately, doubly so from the fact it was Riven who was doing it.

Her talented hands had his peak threatening to arrive within minutes, but he took her attention away by grasping her full breasts with both hands and massaging them in his grip. Riven soon succumbed to his ministrations, finding the shorts on her legs obstructing her pleasure. She kicked them off, wasting no time in taking a hold of Ronan's manhood and rubbing it along the folds of her slit. Before Ronan was given much time to prepare himself for what was about to happen, he felt the overpowering warmth of Riven around his length. He didn't realise he was holding his breath, until Riven's ass hit his legs and he was buried inside of her.

He almost found that he had no more energy left to move, but soon Riven began to make slowly movements. Even the slightest rise and fall of her hips sent shots of pleasure through Ronan's body. The sensations were new and amazing, and Riven's gentle moans with every pass were all the indication he needed that everything was right. He took the initiative to thrust up into her as their skin met, and soon he resumed his place sat up with his arms wrapped around her. He met her mouth again with a round of kisses, gripping her tight as he increased their speed.

His peak was becoming too hard to hold back, the speed of their lovemaking and the heat of her core too much to bear. With a breathless groan escaping his lips, Ronan released inside of her, feeling every muscle tense and contract. Riven mewled and sighed, as not so soon after Ronan felt her folds clamp down on his manhood.

The two were left with breathy pants passing between them. Riven was still sat atop his lap like a throne, gazing into his purple eyes that had hazed over in lust. She smiled and let out another laugh as she pressed her lips to his forehead.

'How was that?' she asked. Ronan struggled to form the right words. Or any words for that matter.

'That…was great,' he finally managed to splutter out, looking at her beautiful face with platinum hair sticking slightly to her forehead. He gave her one final kiss before they toppled back. Riven yanked at the sheets of her bed, pulling them over their naked bodies as they fit together in the bed. Ronan held onto Riven's waist, his face nestled in her shoulder as she turned out the light and they drifted into a contented sleep.


	5. Chapter 5 - A Not-So-Secret Affair

**Chapter 5 – A Not-So-Secret Affair**

Ronan awoke to winter sunshine peering in through the curtains in Riven's room. He opened his purple eyes, stretched out a bit and enjoyed the warmth of the bed he was in. Rolling over, he met the tanned skin of Riven's back. She was still asleep and he watched her shoulders rise and fall with every breath. He reached out and laid a hand gently on her side where the bedsheets hung on the curve of her hips.

She yawned and looked over her shoulder.

'Morning,' she said sleepily, rubbing at her eyes. Ronan smiled, but couldn't pull his gaze away from her breasts where the sheets didn't cover her top half. She raised an eyebrow at him, noticing where his eyes were aimed. 'Thought we'd gotten all that out your system last night,' she said with a smirk. He gave a guilty shrug.

'Just the affect you have on me I guess,' he said, looking into her crimson eyes. They were both laying on their sides facing each other. Riven tugged playfully on his cheek.

'Trying to flatter me, hmm?' she asked.

'Trying? I was succeeding.'

Riven laughed, leaning forward and kissing him on the lips. She settled back, tugging the sheets up over herself and snuggling into the bed. Her eyes slowly closed again. Ronan poked her in the side, causing her to jolt.

'Haven't you got matches to go to?' he said. Now it was his turn to raise an eyebrow her way. Riven sighed.

'Don't remind me,' she said blearily, pulling tighter on the bedsheets. 'I'd rather stay here all day. Those matches yesterday nearly killed me.'

'I'd be quite happy to stay here too,' Ronan said, laying back and letting his eyes close as well.

'Don't forget you've got a match today as well, remember,' she said, giving him a prod back.

'I'm sure they'll do fine without me. They want me to try mid lane today,' said Ronan with a sigh, turning to look at her. 'Probably do better with just four of them than me feeding the enemy team with some new champion I've never tried. Mid looks hard.'

'Have fun with that. Mid can be pretty brutal if you're not used to it. Not as bad as top lane though, or jungling for that matter. Just wait till you try those.'

Ronan huffed. 'I'm only just getting to grips with how bot lane works. There's so much to learn.'

Riven shuffled closer to him in the bed, laying her head on his shoulder and wrapping a hand around his chest. Ronan rested his head to hers, bringing up a hand to stroke her white hair. Having someone so eager to show him affection was a new sensation to Ronan, but one that he was very much enjoying.

'You'll get there with it. Just takes a bit of time, that's all. You have no idea how ahead you are of other new summoners. Most of them flap around like idiots in their first few matches. Irelia told me this new kid once used the flash summoner spell to send her faceplanting straight into a wall. She had a big bruise on her nose for a week after that. I never stopped teasing her about it,' Riven said holding back a laugh. Ronan chuckled.

'I bet she was mad about that.'

'No kidding.'

Ronan was content with the feeling of Riven by his side and the warmth of her body pressed to his, but still he knew he shouldn't be late for his match. He was just about to make a move to get up when Riven spoke again.

'Ronan,' she said.

'Hmm?'

'You know last night you said you'd lost your past memories and couldn't remember much?' Riven asked.

Ronan looked at her. 'Yeah?'

'And you said that it was your first time. Is there a chance that it wasn't but you just didn't remember it ever happening before because your mind had been wiped?'

Ronan thought for a moment. 'You mean maybe I did have sex before but just forgot about it?' Riven nodded. Ronan thought for a moment. He couldn't remember any time before where he'd been with a woman and it all felt very new to him, but how could he be sure?

'It's possible, I suppose,' he said. 'I don't remember anything further back than a few years.'

'Well I guess you could look at that as being an advantageous position,' she said.

'Really?'

'Yeah. You get two first times,' she smiled.

'Oh great, double the awkwardness.' Ronan pulled himself from her and got up. He fumbled around on the floor trying to find the clothes he'd pulled off the night before. Riven sat up in the bed.

'Last night wasn't awkward though, right?' she said, her tone slightly offended. Ronan turned around.

'No,' he said. 'It was great.' He leant over the bed and went to kiss her again. She pulled away and put a hand on his chest. He stared back with confusion.

'I want to make something clear between us, Ronan,' she said with a firmer tone than before. She had pulled the bedsheets up to cover herself. 'I don't do commitment. It's not my way. Too many people I've been close with in the past have ended up dead and I've had my heart ruined. I don't put myself through that anymore.'

'Oh,' Ronan said, a slight weight welling in his heart. 'So all this is just a friendly thing then? Does it not mean anything?'

Riven's face softened and she reached forward to grab his hand. 'Of course it's more than that. But I just can't commit to anything serious after what I've been through. You wouldn't want to be tied to someone like me. I can't keep up with people and I need a lot of time on my own. It's just how I am.'

'If that's how you feel I mean…I can leave you alone whenever you want,' Ronan said and went to turn away. Riven tugged hard on his wrist to stop him from leaving. He looked back at her, the same intensity in her crimson eyes.

'I'm telling you Ronan, you'd be happier being free to do what you want. You can go off with any of the girls in the Institute for all I care and I know that a lot of the ones in these living quarters already have their eye on you,' she said. Ronan was surprised.

'Really? Like who?' he asked, his curiosity peaked.

'Ashe won't shut up about you. Keeps going on about how sweet and kind you are. Irelia told me the other day she really wants to spar with you, which is her way of flirting. And then there's Ahri, of course. They're all on your tail, Ronan. I don't want to pull you away from anyone else. But I do ask something of you in return,' said Riven, looking up from the bed with expectant eyes. There was a softness in her face.

'What's that?'

'Don't forget about me,' she said in a small voice. 'Sometimes I need someone to be there for me when the solitude turns into loneliness. Or sometimes I just want a friend I can trust to be around me.'

'I can do that,' Ronan said with a smile. 'Whenever you need me, I'll be there.'

Ronan had dressed fully and was about to make his way to the door. Riven was tugging a shirt over her head and buckling a belt around her middle.

'I'll see you later then, yeah?' Ronan asked as he took hold of the doorknob.

'Yeah,' Riven smiled. 'We'll hang out after matches or something.'

'We'll do that. See you later.'

'Oh Ronan,' Riven stopped him. He turned back from the door. 'Don't tell anyone about…you know, us. I couldn't stand if the girls started gossiping about it. You know how they are.'

'Yeah,' Ronan laughed. 'Ahri will tell everyone. Don't worry, I remember.'

The corridor was empty when Ronan left Riven's room, but even so he decided to go back to his room and walk from there to the kitchen, just in case anyone found him wondering around other people's bedroom doors and started asking questions.

He didn't go into his room, but walked over to it and then made his way into the main common room and into the kitchen. He didn't really have any idea what the time was as he hadn't checked, but when he went in, Irelia, Ahri and Xayah were already in there making breakfast and so he assumed it was still quite early. Irelia had the stove on and was in the middle of cooking up some pancakes. Ahri sat at the table, most of her tails swirling idly while a few kept prodding Irelia for more food. Xayah, as always, seemed completely uninterested in what was going on.

'Good morning, Ronan,' said Irelia before expertly flipping a pancake. 'Where were you last night?'

Ronan froze. He felt heat rise in his cheek. 'Erm, what do you mean?' he said awkwardly, pulling out some cereal and pouring it into a bowl. A lot spilled out onto the worktop.

'I went to your room last night and you weren't there. Your bed hadn't been slept in either,' she said. Before Ronan could splutter out another response, Ahri interrupted.

'What were you doing in his room, Irie? Trying to jump in his bed, were we?' Ahri giggled, using her tail to steal a pancake from Irelia's plate.

'Hey, tails off!' she said and slapped the fluffy appendage away. 'I was just going round to ask him if he wanted me to show him where the training rooms were this morning.'

'In the middle of the night? How believable,' said Ahri, taking a bite of her stolen pancake.

'So where were you, Ronan? I didn't see you either,' Xayah said, sounding if she didn't really care but wanted to join in.

'I was urr…taking a walk,' Ronan said.

'A walk?' Irelia questioned. 'In the middle of the night? Where to? Must have been a long one.'

'Sorry I've got to go to my match,' Ronan said quickly and raced with his breakfast bowl in hand out of the kitchen.

After hastily wolfing down his food, Ronan ran to the summoning chambers. When he checked the time, he realised he was actually late and so his quick exit from the awkward kitchen occupation actually helped him get to the match as quickly as possible.

After a few snide remarks from his fellow summoners, he quickly jumped into his summoning capsule, the one in the middle of the five this time as it would be his first time in the mid lane. He felt the sensation of his mind connecting with the game, one that was slowly becoming familiar with the many games he was required to play.

When the usual champion selection screen came up before his eyes, Ronan was stumped. As a result of being with Riven, he hadn't had time to prepare for the match or practice at all. All the champions on the board were either completely unfamiliar to him or locked. As the countdown timer ticked down waiting for him to make his pick, he quickly searched for anyone he recognised that could be played in mid lane. Finally, his eyes landed on his best possible choice.

Ahri's voice rang out in his mind as their mental connection was established.

 _'Roooonan, I knew you couldn't resist.'_

 _'Oh, hi Ahri,'_ Ronan said awkwardly in his mind. _'You were the only one on free rotation that I've ever even spoken to.'_

 _'Prettiest face on there, was I? Now come on, let's win a game.'_

The game was a strange one. Ronan felt off during the laning phase and struggled to last hit minions properly. His mind wasn't quite in it. He hadn't died or let Ahri suffer too much damage from her lane opponent Orianna, but everything he did felt clunky and off.

' _What's the matter sweet? Something up?'_ Ahri sounded in his head. Ronan tried to brush it off.

 _'First game of the day I guess. I'll be better soon enough.'_

 _'Didn't get enough sleep last night or something?'_ Ahri said in a teasing tone. Ronan's cheeks went pink. Did she know? He suddenly became very worried with how much of his mind Ahri was able to see into. He was sure it was only a superficial connection, but with someone so attuned to people's emotions as the Nine-tailed Fox, Ronan started to wonder that Ahri knew more than she was letting on.

 _'I'm fine. Let's just carry on,'_ he said, trying to brush her comments aside.

The game lasted a painful forty-five minutes and Ronan felt exhausted. In the end, they hadn't done badly and Ahri had been on point, but his control over her summoner spells and his decision making left a lot to be desired. They ended going even on their kills and deaths, but some strategic play from the top and jungle earned them the victory.

Once the game was over, Ronan quickly left the summoning platform and marched through the viewing area to quickly leave and get back to the living quarters. Normally, he'd spare a few moments to congratulate his champion on their victory, but Ronan was in no mood to see Ahri. She continued to giggle and make subtle teases at him about whatever it was that happened last night throughout the match and Ronan had been flushed and red-faced the whole time.

He went straight to his room, crashing down on his bed and staring up at the ceiling. There was a part of his brain unsure of what was wrong, but another part of his body very well aware of what the problem was. His heart felt heavy and like lead since Riven had told him that she didn't want to take what they had any further. He felt a little bit like he'd been strung along, but he didn't want to think that. Riven had been clear with him from the start. But it still hurt. The first person to show any kind of romantic interest in him had no desire to commit to him.

It wasn't a rejection though, just a boundary. She still wanted him around, just needed space. He kept telling himself that over and over again. Maybe one day those walls of hers would fall and she'd be willing to let him into her life, but until then there was nothing more.

Ronan decided to stop moping. It wasn't productive, and he was probably overthinking something that didn't really matter all that much anyway. His stomach gave a rumble and he decided that he needed to make some more food.

When he arrived in the common room however, he found the one person he was trying to avoid sitting lazily on the sofa. Ahri shot a cheeky wink his way.

'Calmed down now, Ronan?' she said, toying with one of her tails.

'I am calm,' he said.

'So much tension in that game though. What's going on in that head of yours? Someone on your mind?'

As if Ahri had planned the whole thing, at that moment Riven stepped through the door. Greatsword in hand and a grim expression on her face, it was obvious she'd just finished her matches for the day.

'Rivvvy, maybe you can help me work out what's wrong with Ronan,' Ahri said, looking to the Exile. Riven looked back with confusion, her crimson gaze shifting between Ahri and Ronan.

'What's wrong with him? What do you mean?' she said. Ahri sat up on the couch.

'His mind was a mess today in our game together, I couldn't get through to him. Was that why you were out walking in the middle of the night last night?' Ahri asked. Ronan looked to Riven. She stared back with a furrowed brow.

'Out walking?' she asked. 'You weren't out walking. You were with…' Riven caught herself before she finished the sentence. Ronan saw her visibly gulp and her face paled slightly. Ahri had a devious smile on her face, showing off her pearly white teeth.

'With who?' Ahri said, but it seemed as if she already knew the answer. Ronan's face had flushed again and he knew he'd gone bright red. 'Looks like you know something we don't, Riven.'

Riven sighed, propping her sword up against the couch. 'Ronan was with me,' she said flatly, looking to Ahri. Ahri immediately jumped to her feet, her tails splaying out like an excited peacock.

'I knew it!' she said with glee, running over and grabbing the two of them by the arm. 'There were so many loved up emotions swirling around Ronan's mind, I just knew it had to be about a girl! Our very own Riven as well!' She took hold of Riven's cheek like a little kid.

'Get off Ahri,' Riven said pushing her away.

'So what were you to up to, a romantic moonlit walk?' Ahri questioned.

'I already said he wasn't out walking. We were here,' Riven said, completely fed up of Ahri's overreaction.

'In your room? Irelia said Ronan wasn't in his room so he must have been in yours!'

'Yes. In my room.'

Ahri's face lit up. 'You slept together?' Ahri's vibrant gold eyes got a little brighter. 'Oh my!'

Ronan saw Riven roll her eyes. He knew how much she didn't want the Nine-tailed Fox to know of their nightly encounter, but she wasn't one to lie when asked.

'Yes. Yes we did,' Riven said, still sticking to her flat tone as to not play into Ahri's enthusiasm. 'Now if you'll excuse me, I want to have a rest,' Riven said and started to walk off to her room. Ahri wasn't going to let her get away though and continued to follow on behind her eagerly asking questions.

'How was it? Need any lovemaking advice? I can help you two. How long's it been since you did something like that, Rivy? You need to get out more,' Ahri's voice was still audible long after she'd chased Riven down the hall. Ronan sighed as he heard her probing Riven for answers, feeling a little guilty that their secret had come out so soon.

One thing was for certain though, everyone was going to find out.

* * *

 **Apologies for the hiatus, I've been away travelling for the last week or so. Just such a backlog of stuff to catch up with for my job and my degree.**

 **Hope you enjoyed this chapter, Ronan's starting to get himself involved a bit more now.**


	6. Chapter 6 - Gossip

**Chapter 6 – Gossip**

The next week at the Institute was not a fun one for Ronan. Within a few hours of finding out about his nightly affairs with Riven, Ahri had let it slip to a couple of the other girls in their living area and before long, it was the hot topic for everyone who resided there. He caught the gazes shot his way as he was walking around the corridors and in the kitchen in the morning. Ahri kept giggling every time he passed her, and quite often teased him with a flick of one of her tails into his face. Ashe kept sparing shy glances his way, but didn't say anything much more than that. Irelia studied him with keen interest, while Xayah made a few brash comments about it whenever it was brought up.

A few more days past and Ronan started to hear about it from people around the Institute. Just before he stepped into the capsule for his first match as a top laner, his fellow summoner playing mid lane nudged him on the shoulder and whispered to him: 'Is it true you got with Riven the Exile?' Ronan was just about fed up with it all.

His top lane match went better than expected, considering his less-than-perfect mental state when he went into the game. He ended up playing Ornn, a stoic grumbling tank who wasn't the most talkative of champions Ronan had met. His opponent was Nasus, another quiet personality who didn't seem interested in fighting Ornn in the slightest, and so their lane went ignored by the other summoners in the game. Ronan felt more than happy to just spend the rest of the game sitting in the island that was the top lane, farming patiently.

Eventually, the game had to come to a close. Once they'd secured a very uneventful victory, Ronan had no intention of returning to the female living area to listen to more gossip about him going around the common room, and so he headed for a place in hopes of escape. Stepping into the male champions' area of the Institute, Ronan knocked on the door of the Piltover workshop. Ezreal answered and Ronan saw how the young explorer's face lit up when he saw who it was stood in the doorway.

'Ronan, man!' he said with all the energy Ronan expected from the blond. He pulled Ronan into a handshake and slapped him on the back. 'Good to see you again. Come in.'

'Hey Ez,' Ronan said, stepping into the workshop. As expected, the place was littered with all the hextech paraphernalia he and his fellow Piltoverians liked to tinker with. Heimer's side of the room was piled high with circuit boards, wires and tools obviously neglected in favour of some other discovery. Sparks flew into the air, lighting the far end of the workshop in electric blue flashes behind a protective screen.

Ezreal noticed him staring at the contraptions on the tables. 'Don't mind the mess. Heimer's just gone off to solder something he's working on. Had his eureka moment apparently and rushed off with his hair still on fire,' Ezreal said with a smirk. Ronan laughed, imagining the little yordle's bundle of blond hair smouldering as he ran off in excitement. 'So what's brought you here Ronan? Just a casual visit? Looks like something's eating you.' The explorer had noticed Ronan's downcast expression immediately when he stepped in.

'Just want to get away for a while. As much as I love being with the girls, they can be a nightmare sometimes when they start gossiping.'

Ezreal gave an agreeing nod. 'I can imagine. Although, don't get me wrong, you have no idea how jealous I am of you. Sleeping surrounded by all the most powerful women in the League? Damn man I'd give up every treasure in the Shuriman tombs to live like that.'

'That's the problem,' Ronan said quietly.

Just then, the door flew open and Jayce came barrelling in, his handsome face covered in soot aside from around his eyes where he'd obviously been wearing goggles. His eyes were bright with joy, even though it looked like he'd just caused a massive explosion.

'Ronan dude!' Jayce said, noticing the mage sat by Ez's worktable. 'Whatever you did to my hammer, it's turned it into a monster! I just did a shockblast test and blew a hole in the side of the training room wall. They've got the summoners there now trying to pick up all the bricks. Phew, I think I should tone it down a bit, otherwise the Rift officials are going to be calling me in for a nerf,' Jayce said, laughing to himself. He pulled the goggles that were rested on his forehead off and chucked them onto the side, before plopping down in a seat next to the two boys. His fur coat was caked in black soot.

'You might want to put a stronger resistor in after that shock magic I shot through it. Otherwise we'll be scooping you off the floor one day soon, Jayce' said Ronan, patting him on the shoulder. 'Maybe I should have mentioned that to you when I did it.'

'Might have helped. But I'm not complaining! I can't wait to give it another go.'

'Don't destroy the training room, champ. We all want some time in there before you're done with it,' Ezreal chimed in, raising eyebrows at the Defender who gave a guilty shrug in response. He turned to Ronan. 'Say, there was a rumour going around that something happened to you in the sword training rooms the other night, Ronan.'

Immediately Ronan perked up, looking at Ezreal as heat flushed in his cheeks. 'Me?' Ronan spluttered. 'What did you hear?'

'Well I laned against Draven a few games ago and he kept laughing at Darius for something. I mean, that self-obsessed idiot will take any opportunity to show someone up, but he kept on at him and I heard your name mentioned.'

'Ah hah yeah…something did happen. We had a bit of a…disagreement,' Ronan said, trying desperately to stay away from mentioning Riven at all.

'You had a disagreement with Darius and you're still standing? How did you get away with that?' Jayce asked.

Ronan wiggled his fingers, sending small sparks of electricity from his fingertips. 'Little bit of my magic stopped him in his tracks,' Ronan said smugly, enjoying the looks of amazement on their faces as he spoke.

'Damn I wish I was there. Seeing Darius get outsmarted by a little bit of magic sounds hilarious,' Ezreal said. Jayce agreed with a nod.

'I'd pay good money to see that brute laughing on the other side of his face.'

'Yeah it was an…interesting night,' Ronan said, twiddling a bit of wire on the worktable.

'Sounds like a bit more happened than you're letting on Ronan. Can't seriously tell me the girls were only gossiping about you being an absolute boss taking down a massive Noxian,' said Jayce. 'Most of them take down bruisers as a day job.'

'Yeah…not exactly,' Ronan said carefully. A part of him wanted to tell them about his nightly escapades with Riven, thinking it might elevate him amongst the men, but there was always the image of Riven in his mind's eye and how he'd be betraying her feelings for him slightly. She didn't deserve his boasting, and the experience was only half his to tell. He was somewhat surprised that the two Piltoverians seemed to not know about him and Riven, considering all the things he'd heard about the city. Ezreal was a social hub in the League and Jayce wasn't far behind in that regard. Not to mention that probably the most well-known of the champions from Piltover was the Sheriff herself, a woman renowned for sniffing out the truth.

'I know what happened,' Ezreal said with a smile tugging at the corner of his mouth and a mischievous glint in his blue eyes. 'You've been hanging out with the Exile a lot I heard.' Ezreal raised his eyebrows.

 _Oh, there we go._ Ronan sighed as his thoughts were put to a close. He blushed hard. _Who was it that told him?_ '…yeah there was that as well.'

'Knew it!' Ezreal slapped a hand to the table in excitement. 'Apparently Soraka had healed you after your little bout with Darius and you stayed the night in Riven's room,' the Explorer continued. 'I bet you got more than you bargained for with her.'

'I'm impressed Ez,' Ronan said. 'Most people have been running their mouths with rumours about us sleeping together and just leave it at that. You at least found out a little more before spouting that one out.'

'Wait, you slept with Riven?' Jayce said with wide eyes as if the news was nothing short of wonderment. 'As in white-haired, massive sword wielding ex-Noxian commander Riven? That Riven?'

'What other Rivens do you know, Jayce? Of course that's who we mean,' said Ezreal. 'You can be dumb as a brick sometimes, you know that?'

'Hang on,' Ronan chimed in, looking to Ezreal. 'You don't talk to Soraka. How do you know any of this?' Ronan inquired, surprised to see that it was now Ezreal's turn to flush a bright red. He scratched the back of his head awkwardly.

'I…argh…urr…'

'He's dating that Crownguard girl,' Jayce answered for him, nodding his head at the young blond.

Ronan raised an eyebrow. 'Lux? Oh that would explain a lot then,' he said. Lux and Soraka were good friends. The Demacian must have realised Soraka was keeping a secret. Ronan hadn't been in the Institute long, but it was long enough to know that if Lux suspected there was some gossip she was missing out on, she'd do everything she could to try and wriggle it out of someone.

'Alright,' Ezreal threw his hands up in the air in defeat. 'Yeah, I heard it from Lux when we were out the other night. No big deal. It's not like Garen sneaking off to Katarina's room every other night, is it?'

'Is that a thing?' Ronan asked.

'Totally,' Jayce agreed. 'Worst kept secret in the League that one.'

International relationships were something Ronan expected to encounter amongst the champions, it was a given, but he was surprised about Katarina taking a liking to that Demacian meathead Garen. The High Commands of both nations were probably eager to keep that one hidden.

'Come on then, the truth's out, how was it?' Ezreal asked, looking at Ronan with interrogating eyes and a smug smile on his lips.

'How was what?' said Ronan pretending not to know what he meant.

'Sleeping with Riven of course, how was it?'

Ronan continued to blush hard. He'd never had to put any experience like this into words, especially not in casual conversation with friends. What should he say? It only lasted all of about five minutes.

'It was…good, I guess,' he said eventually. Ezreal looked unimpressed.

'Good, you guess? Come on Ronan, is that all you can think to say after sleeping with a champion of the League?'

'I kind of just want to forget about it the way everyone's been bugging me,' said Ronan solemnly.

'I bet it's the guns that do it for you,' Jayce said nudging Ronan on the shoulder. 'Riven's got bigger muscles than any of the tanks we got in the League. You know, I saw her have an arm wrestle with Garen once. She slammed his hand down so hard that it cracked the table. No kidding.'

'Wouldn't be surprised,' Ronan muttered.

The three of them were broken from their conversation by the clink of metal and whizz of live electrical wires. Heimerdinger came plodding into the room, his blond furry mass of hair a complete mess, still flaming at the tips. In his tiny yordle hands were many broken pieces of hextech circuitry that looked as if they had shattered from an explosion.

'Didn't quite go to plan then, Heimer?' Ezreal asked.

'My hypothesis was slightly off, yes.'

They all laughed together.

…

Ronan had tried to return to the living area as late as he possibly could manage, in hopes of slipping in while the girls were all asleep and saving him from any more awkward encounters. He crept down the halls of the Institute, tip toeing along the corridor in the residential area and unlocking the door as quietly as he could. He entered the common room, turning around and carefully letting the door click back into place.

The room was deathly quiet, only the gentle tick of the clock on the wall filling the emptiness. The place was dark aside from a thin crack of light shining in from the kitchen door that had been left open. Ronan thought little of it, it was quite common for the girls to leave one light on in case anyone got up in the middle of the night. He thought his victory had been assured and he had remained undetected, until the beam of light coming from the kitchen was blocked by the silhouette of a figure. A figure with nine distinct tails.

He heard Ahri's iconic sultry giggle before she said anything. Sighing inwardly, not only his defeat, but defeat at the hands of the one person he most wanted to avoid, Ronan resigned himself to failure.

'Hello Ahri,' he said. 'You're up late.'

'I could say the same for you. Not been sneaking into other girls' rooms have you, Ronan?' she said in her teasing voice. Every sentence that left Ahri's mouth seemed to end with another girlish giggle. She was wearing her usual red and white revealing kimono, with much of her porcelain skin on show. Her boots however were missing, and so her bare feet were touching the carpet.

From the moment he had stepped into the room, her golden eyes had never left him. As he came closer, she studied him with a greater curiosity, looking him up and down like an antique collector assessing the worth of a vase. A satisfied smirk graced her lips, angling the black whiskers on her face up slightly. He stopped, noticing her reaction to him. There was obviously something Ahri wanted to say or do, something mischievous that she was holding back on.

'What?' he said, trying to put off her staring. Her silence was insufferable.

'I spoke to Riven,' Ahri said finally, her smile only growing. Ronan huffed.

'Oh really, and I'm sure she told you everything right? What are you trying to achieve by poking your nose in, Ahri?' Ronan didn't mean to sound annoyed, but the constant buzz of rumours were getting to him. Ahri had been at the centrepiece of the gossip, so it was easy for him to direct any frustration at her. She pouted at him, furrows forming on her brow.

'She told me some things,' Ahri said. 'And from that short conversation, I could work out that you desperately need my help.'

'Need your help? With what?'

'Come on, Ronan. You must know it didn't go as well with Riven as you'd have liked.'

'I thought it went fine,' he muttered, raising his hands defensively. He felt strangely attacked by Ahri's words, and if she was only echoing what Riven had said before than that only made it worse.

'Yeah, exactly. Just "fine",' Ahri repeated. Her arms that had been folded under her chest came up to take hold of his hand and tug him around so that he looked directly at her. Ronan found himself sinking into the enticing pull of Ahri's golden eyes. He knew how it felt to be under the influence of Ahri's charm and knew that she wasn't using her magic at the moment, it was simply her beauty and allure that was causing his heart to race. 'It should have been _amazing_ Ronan. You should have come away ecstatic as if for once in your life you felt truly alive. If there's one thing I am expert on, it's these sorts of matters, so let me help.'

'Help? How can you help?' he asked. 'We had one night together. It's over now, what's left to help with?'

Ahri took a step forward, curling a slender hand around Ronan's arm. 'I'm not some relationship counsellor, Ronan. Think of me more like a therapist. I favour the more practical approach.'

'What are you saying?' Ronan's frustration was not helped by the fox's vague words. Her long fingers began to weave into his own as she left inches between his arm and her body.

'Riven said there were some things to work on if you two ever had sex again. I offered my services in that regard. I'm willing to teach you if you would like to learn.'

Ronan took a moment to process her words, suddenly hit with confusion. '…you want to…with me?' Ronan couldn't even bring himself to say the sentence properly. Was this another of Ahri's childish jokes? Was she trying to show him up even more? She nodded a few times, her luscious lips parting to reveal white canine teeth.

She giggled again, this time at his stupor from her words. She squeezed his hand tightly again before releasing him. She twirled around, allowing him a moment to admire her before her bushy tails brushed over his face. She looked over her shoulder at him.

'I'll be in my room. Drop by tonight if you'd like to learn a thing or two about women.' And with that, she strutted her way down the corridor with her tails splayed out like an inviting plumage. Soon, her voluptuous form disappeared into the darkness and Ronan heard a bedroom door shut somewhere upstairs.

* * *

 **I think you can see where this is going...**

 **Hey all, Geist here. Sorry about the wait.**

 **Life's been taking one of its busy turns for me as my writing thesis for university is underway now, struggling to find time to write the things I actually want to work on. I've still got a lot of ideas for this story, so although it may get neglected at times, I won't forget about it.**

 **Jayce mentioning about Riven armwrestling Garen is a reference to ViperofGrand's 'A Blade Reforged', which was the first fanfic I ever read. I wanted to add a subtle homage to that one here. Bonus points if any of you got that!**


	7. Chapter 7 - Lessons from a Fox

**Chapter 7 – Lessons from a Fox**

 **As I'm sure you've already guessed, big lemon ahead for the next two chapters. Yes, you heard me right, the next TWO chapters!**

* * *

Ronan felt like he was in no more than a dreamy lust-filled daze as he began to wander down the corridor. The thoughts and day-dreams in his head of what it was that Ahri was offering did not allow his mind to focus on anything but the image of her. Suddenly, every little teasing show of skin in the fox's dress became all that more alluring and those loose-fitting clothes she favoured seemed ready to drop off in his mind at any moment.

Several minutes had passed since Ahri had left the common room where she had caught Ronan coming in late, but after the proposition had been made of her teaching him the art of pleasing women, Ronan had been stood still, completely dumbfounded by the idea. He shook the lewd images from his mind, intending to go up the stairs, into his own room and forget the whole thing. It had been a long day and the matches had been taxing on his spirit. He still had another two days worth of top lane training to go and he wanted to be ready for it.

Stepping through the room, he meandered around the corner and up the stairs. Along the corridor he walked until he came to his own bedroom door. As he reached for the doorknob however, a stab of hesitation struck his mind as he gazed down the darkened hallway. Ahri's door longed to him from beyond. He knew which one it was, just next to Irelia's. He couldn't pull his eyes away from its invitation, wrestling the temptation to throw down his need to sleep and head her way. He shook his head vigorously again, slapping his face a few times. _Concentrate,_ he told himself.

Pushing his bedroom door open, Ronan immediately ran to his small en-suite bathroom. He flicked on the light and leaned over the sink. Splashing cold water over his face, he looked up into the mirror to see the blushing red-cheeked version of himself looking back. Ever since he had connected the dots with what Ahri had been saying, his cheeks had flared with intense heat and his brain had completely stopped working. Was that the effect she had on him? Her charm magic? Ronan considered to himself whether if it had been any other of the girls inviting him into their bed, would he have felt the same way, flushed and awkward? As Ahri had said, she was a master in these sorts of things, maybe it wouldn't do him so bad to learn a thing or two from her. But with that thought still came the possibility that this was just some elaborate joke and as soon as he turned up in Ahri's room with his pants down, the other girls would jump out and laugh at him calling him a pervert for even thinking that someone as seductive as Ahri would just throw out offerings of sex so casually.

 _Then again…_ Ronan thought to himself, _that's a risk I'm definitely willing to take._

The dark corridor seemed very much more welcoming now that his decision had been made. He walked down with confidence in the direction of Ahri's room. He passed Ashe's door, Xayah's, Irelia's and finally came to her room. Her door was ornately decorated with Ionian reds and whites. An image of a cherry blossomed tree branch was painted across the wood, curving round to frame her name on the front.

It took him some time to garner the courage to raise his fist and bang on the door, but before he could even rap out a knock, the door had unclicked itself. It came ajar, and from around the frame came the wildly beautiful face of Ahri, smiling with her canine teeth and sultry glow in her golden eyes. She didn't say anything immediately, but continued to lock eyes with him as if waiting for him to admit that he wanted to be there.

'Teach me, Ahri,' Ronan managed to splutter out. His words were clumsy and all the blood that had left his head had sank lower. It didn't help when Ahri let the door swing open a little further and Ronan was able to see what she was wearing. Wrapped tightly around her middle and looking as silky smooth as her porcelain skin was a pristine white nightgown. It was cut low around her neck, giving Ronan a tantalizing view of her cleavage and a tease of the black lingerie underneath.

Ahri gave a satisfied humph and chuckle at his flustered appearance. Before the moment could linger and become even more awkward for Ronan, Ahri had yanked him by the collar of his shirt and pulled him into her room. She shut the door quickly and deposited him against the wall. The light was low in her room, only a small lamp by her bedside illuminating the satisfied glow on her face. Her fingers were still on his chest, but had released his clothes. Now they glided slowly along his body. Her tails danced idly behind her.

'Knew you couldn't resist,' Ahri said cheekily, only an inch or so between their two faces. 'I was waiting for you to give in and come knocking.'

'Will you teach me?' Ronan asked. His whole body was rigid under the gentle motions of her fingers. They came to linger around his shoulders until they laid softly over him.

'Teach you what?' Ahri teased, fingertips toying with the straps of her nightgown as her features looked at him behind fluttering eyelashes. Ronan sighed deeply, trying his best to let his shoulders fall and not constantly wring his hands.

'Don't make me say it again,' he pleaded. 'Teach me…you know…how to be good with girls. How to please them. You said you'd do it, right?'

Ahri's foxy smile grew into a wide grin as he finally admitted needing her help. The cute whiskers on her face angled up with her luscious lips, and her golden eyes sparkled with a little more energy.

'Of course I'll teach you, sweet. But that doesn't mean only you get something out of it,' she said with a giggle. 'Everything in good time, Ronan. You can't just jump in with these sorts of things. Let's start at lesson one,' she said, her eyes dancing over his face. She was looking at his lips a lot, and with each look, her tails seemed to sway with more vigour.

'What's lesson one?' he stuttered out. Ahri's beauty was so alluring, and her fox-like features gave her all the spirit of a wild untamed animal. She paused, her smile tempering down into a satisfied smirk. With her arms around his neck, she pulled him forwards and pressed her lips onto his. There wasn't any of the loving gentleness that Riven had showed him, but a hot primal lust. Her tongue worked its way to mingle with his as he tried his best to reciprocate the duel of her lips.

Every wet smack of their lips made Ronan dive in deeper, feeling his rigid muscles relax and the warmth of her body pressed to his to overcome him. The gap was closed and Ronan struggled to pull away from the feel of her breasts and warmth of her figure. He daringly ran his hands along her silken nightgown, wondering at its softness and finding his excitement to double as her curves became all the more real under his grip. He settled on her sides, taking the initiative to trace the swell of her ass as their kisses continued. When he gripped her tight, he felt her breath catch in her throat.

'I see you're getting into this,' said Ahri. 'Good.' Her middle was pressed so close to Ronan's body that she undoubtedly could feel the hardening length in his pants. He guessed there wasn't much point trying to hide it now. She knew what he wanted, and seemed to revel in his enjoyment. She pulled away slightly from him, but her tails continued to run along his sides and brush playfully against his face. They were so soft, and even though he didn't want to pull his hands away from appreciating Ahri's feminine body, he took the opportunity to run his fingers through the fleecy fur.

Her hands went to the length of satin tied around her middle, tugging open the knot and letting her nightgown fall open. Ronan felt himself gawking at Ahri's voluptuous body contained in her black lingerie. Her long pale legs, wide hips and toned stomach, all the way up past her large breasts and beautiful face. There was no doubt that Ahri was on a different level compared to Riven's military trained and hardened physique. The fox's form was all that any woman would dream of, and any man would kill to take for his own.

She took him by the hand, laughing to herself at the look of abashed wonder on his face. Ronan had no cause to look around Ahri's room, his mind was very much focussed elsewhere, but as Ahri pushed him back, he found himself falling onto the covers of a very plush double bed, with crimson and white sheets and many fluffed up pillows.

'I get the feeling I'm not the only one enjoying this,' he said shakily looking up at her as she stood over the bed watching him. She rested her hands on her hips, completely satisfied with him being submissive to her.

The nightgown still hung loosely over her shoulders, open and leaving her body on display. She reached up and pulled it down slowly over her pale skin, dropping into the crook of her bent arms before it slipped off and landed in a pile on the floor. Ahri stood before him wearing only her sheer black lingerie and the ever-present contented smile that had filled his eyes since he had stepped into her room.

Much like the fox she shared her makeup with, Ahri pounced on top of Ronan, clawing at his clothes until his shirt had been thrown to the side. More passionate kisses were passed between them as Ronan's hand landed on her left breast, feeling its fullness under her underwear. Another brief moment came where they were apart long enough to look at each other.

'Lesson two is about not diving in too fast. You've both got to be ready and prepared for what the night will hold. Be patient and take your time,' she said, pulling at his pants until they came off and his cock sprang free. He found it funny her talk of patience while she seemed so eager to undress him. 'You've got to make sure you both are full of lust for each other,' she said, fingers trailing to wrap around his length. Ronan jolted under the simple stimulation, finding Ahri's delicate and gentle movements to be expert at bringing him pleasure. He closed his eyes and allowed a moan to slip from his lips. 'Let go.'

When he finally brought himself back into the bedroom, he found Ahri to have settled between his legs, sitting on her haunches with her tails plumed out behind her like a peacock. His cock still sat in her grip and she let her motions evolve into longer strokes. With only one coy wink, she leant her head down to meet him and without warning, wrapped her lips around his member. Ronan was overcome with the sensation of her warm mouth around him as she began to expertly suck, her tongue paying particular attention to his head with each pass. His muscles seized and his legs became rigid with her sat between them. His hand came up to tangle in her braided hair, and seeming to sense the pleasure was maybe a little too much, her tails came up to wrap around his arms and gently stroke along his skin.

Though Ronan's eyes flickered open and closed at the twitches running down his spine, he spared a moment to see her golden eyes looking cheekily his way as she continued to suck hard. _This is…too much,_ Ronan could only think as she bobbed her head faster and faster, running her tongue along his shaft every second that her mouth was not stuffed with his length. Sensing that she was threatening to make him cum too soon, she popped his dick out of her mouth and pressed one last kiss to his head.

'Lesson three,' she said, 'learn to last.'

She propped herself up on her knees on the bed, stretching out her middle and raising her body up. Ronan's hands trembled around her waist as he tested her skin. Her tails came up and pushed his hands back behind his head, pinning him to the pillow. Her tails were stronger than he expected, but not enough to overpower him. For now, he was happy to do as he was told, especially as Ahri's fingers were beginning to fiddle with the clasp of her bra.

It came loose, supported only by Ahri's hands around the black lace. She wagged a finger as if to say that he couldn't have it before pushing him back to the bed with her hand. She threw the bra aside, revealing her pale tits to him. Perfectly round and large, Ahri's breasts held all the full beauty that so many women craved. Ronan was allowed to tentatively squeeze them in his hands, pinching her already hard nipples to send a pleasurable moan from Ahri's lips.

'Ah…' she moaned from the massage he was giving her. 'I think I've given you a little too much attention. I want a turn,' she said with a purr. Reluctantly, Ronan let go of her soft mounds as she pushed herself off of him and turned around. Delicate fingers slipped into the hem of her panties, before she slipped them down her legs.

'This is meant to be a lesson,' she said. 'You don't get to sit and have your cock played with for a lesson. It's time for your practical.' Ahri took hold of both her legs, tucking them close to her chest and leaning back to show off her perfectly pink pussy to his eyes. Ronan found the sight too enticing to refuse and immediately jumped up. With a hand sliding along the backs of her legs, Ronan arched his neck down and pressed his mouth to her lower lips. His tongue came out to lap up her essence that had gathered on her labia, pleased to find her blissful moans slipping from her mouth.

'Take…your time,' she said with a breathy moan breaking her words. 'Move slowly and let your tongue…explore.'

Ronan took the advice and began to swirl his tongue to include more of her skin, even dancing to the side to kiss along her thighs and breathe on her mound.

'Pay attention to…your partners breathing,' came Ahri's voice. 'Note where they moan the loudest.'

Ronan carried on making out with her pussy, varying his licks and sucks and listening to her response. When his tongue ventured higher, almost touching the slight patch of black crowning her sex, Ahri's moans burst into a loud collection of cries and jolts that wracked her body. Ronan realised he had found her clit and though he suspected the sensitive spot may have been a little too much for her just now, he continued to kiss and suck at it to savour the feminine groans from the fox.

She shuddered, her whole body tightening up. Her tails quivered in mid-air before draping themselves over Ronan's body. Ahri's hand on his head allowed him up, and Ronan took the opportunity to lean himself over her body, reaching up to her lips and kissing her deeply again. Manicured nails tangled in his hair, her kisses collecting up her own essence that was still on his lips. They broke away and Ahri's intense golden stare only made him that much harder.

'I want you to fuck me, Ronan. Hard…' she purred. She pulled him up, letting him stand on his feet off the bed. She turned around and bent over the ruffled covers, displaying her round ass for him to ogle at. Seeing where his eyes were aimed, her hand came round to take hold of one of her soft cheeks, pulling it to the side to perfectly show off her dripping core and cute asshole. With her southern lips parted showing off how wet she was, Ronan took hold of his cock and accepted her invitation, lining it up with her folds and pushing deep into her pussy.

Ahri wailed and clutched at the white sheets of her bed, all her attempts at staying upright failing her head fell to the bed as well. Ronan was struggling to take in regular breaths, his mind was totally consumed with how wonderfully tight she was and how every contour of her inner walls was massaging his painfully sensitive cock with ease. Though each movement dared to make him cum on the spot, Ronan began to thrust slowly while letting out his own laboured moans. About a minute passed, with Ronan taking his time with each slow push into Ahri's pussy. His hands were around her sides, sliding along her skin to take in the swell of her rear and cup her cheeks.

While Ahri seemed content with his performance, Ronan could still tell she wanted more. His pace began to increase with concentrated precision, but eventually it seemed as if she were bored of him not taking control. Her tails came to wrap around his back and with the surprising strength he was becoming familiar with, they clenched tightly around him, in turn pushing him deeper into her snatch.

She let out a moan. '…that's right,' she said. 'Now fuck me harder.'

The tails guided his speed and added a layer of depth to his thrusts. Soon, Ronan was forcing himself into her repeatedly, his hips smacking loudly against her large ass. He didn't know where the confidence came from, but he rose his right hand up and brought it down hard on Ahri's rear. She screamed a lusty squeal as the loud crack of his hand filled the room and Ronan could swear he felt he tighten up inside.

'Harder…again' she moaned again, and so he complied. His hand came down again, causing her flesh to ripple with the force of the strike.

Ronan felt a sheen of sweat had gathered all over his body as he continued to ream into her cunt over and over again. Every time he glanced down, he watched with delight as his cock disappeared into her wet pussy only to reappear before he forced in again. The contractions of her inner walls were bringing him closer and closer to his peak. His felt his balls begin to tighten as he gripped the flesh of Ahri's ass so tightly he left red hand prints on the supple flesh.

The door clicked.

Ronan immediately felt his orgasm start to slip away as both he and Ahri looked in startlement towards her front door. Standing in the threshold with an aghast expression on her face, was Irelia. The Blade Dancer was wearing a tight-fitting sports outfit, with three-quarter length yoga pants on her bottom half. She'd obviously been in the training rooms, as she spent most of her nights there, but her blades were currently absent. Her baby-blue eyes were wide with surprise.

'I knew it!' Irelia said, pointing at the two of them. 'I _totally_ knew it!' At her sudden appearance, Ronan had pulled himself out of Ahri and stood there awkwardly with his hands covering his rapidly deflating cock as his face turned a bright shade of red, both of being caught and being stark naked in her presence. Ahri on the other hand, seemed perfectly unperturbed at her fellow Ionian's appearance, and quite happily stood with her nude body on full display with not an ounce of shame. Though her black hair was ruffled from being pressed into her bed sheets and her cheeks were flushed with lust, she looked to Irelia with one of her more mischievous smiles on her face.

'Oh Irelia, come to spoil the fun again?' Ahri said with an over the top sigh.

 _Again?_ Ronan thought. _How often does Irelia walk in on Ahri having sex?_

Irelia rested a hand on her hip. 'I knew you couldn't resist. Any time there's a male summoner you take a liking to I hear you moaning at the top of your lungs a few nights later. I hope Ronan knew what he was getting in to with you,' she said.

Ronan was about to speak, but couldn't quite find the words. Irelia's eyes kept looking him up and down, and they held a certain smug glint.

'I was giving him a lesson actually,' said Ahri, adjusting her hair and flicking it over her shoulders. Irelia burst into laughter.

'A lesson? Are you charging them now?'

Ahri pouted at the comment. She came over and wrapped a hand around Ronan's shoulder. 'Ronan desperately needed some help in all things to do with women. I did what any expert would do and offered my services,' she said with pride.

'Funny way of saying you were horny and wanted a quick lay,' Irelia retorted, raising her eyebrows playfully waiting for Ahri's reaction.

Ahri stepped up to Irelia. 'Are you saying you could do a better job of educating him how to please a woman? What was it the last man you slept with said to you afterwards? "I'm not into involving the blades in sex"? And how long ago was it you did that? It's been years hasn't it?'

That did it. Irelia closed the door firmly behind her, standing up to Ahri with only an inch or so between them. 'Are you challenging me, _fox_?'

Ahri smiled mischievously. 'As if there's any challenge between us two.' She stuck out her tongue.

'We'll see about that.'

* * *

 **Once again, I think you can see where this is going...Irelia's always the competitive one, in all regards.**

 **Hey all, Geist here again with another chapter of this. Progress is always slow these days for me it seems. My university is requiring me to do a ton of writing but because it's coursework, I end up procrastinating, even if it's something I'd love to write. Funny how it has that effect.**

 **But uni's coming to its end soon and I'll have a shiny Masters degree to hang on my wall, so that's cool. Other than that, I got a car finally and I'm starting to do a bit more than just mope around at home since going through a breakup.**

 **Hope you're all doing well and thanks to everyone sticking with this story, I hope you're enjoying it.**


	8. Chapter 8 - Ionian Rivalry

**Chapter 8 – Ionian Rivalry**

Ronan watched in embarrassment as the two Ionian girls sized each other up. He didn't quite know what to do and his face was still bright red from being caught, but as the girls continued to argue and bicker, Ronan slowly became aware of just how surreal the situation was that he found himself in. Just one night ago, he'd been having his first awkward sexual experience with Riven and now he found himself in the presence of two beautiful and powerful women, completely naked.

'You think you know more than me about sex?' Ahri said, still with her hand on her hip. 'I'm an expert, girl. You're just a dancer whose lost her rhythm.' Irelia was looking back at her with an equally sassy expression on her face. She flapped her hand as if the answer to the question was obvious. 'You're forgetting a few little details about me, Irie.'

'I bet you didn't even teach him how to kiss properly, you just went straight in and fucked him,' said Irelia. Ahri tutted and snorted some air through her nose. 'I thought you were a fox, not a horny rabbit.'

'Ronan was eager to get onto the main event. And let's be honest, who wouldn't be? Ahri purred and fluttered her eyelashes and puffing out her sizable chest.

Irelia scoffed and marched over to Ronan. She pulled his hands away from his cock, showing off how flaccid he'd gotten during their arguing. Ronan was startled as she then proceeded to grab hold of it, pointing with her other hand at his penis.

'I can clearly see how eager you got him, look at this.' Irelia wiggled his soft cock around.

'Well if you hadn't have come in and disturbed us, he'd still be rock hard. You put him off with your ugly face,' Ahri replied and stuck out her tongue. Irelia's blue eyebrows went up.

'Oh, it was my fault was it? Well I guess I'll have to sort him out and show him what a _real_ woman can do.'

Ahri looked disgusted at the insult, but was even more annoyed once Irelia started massaging Ronan's cock between her slender fingers. Ronan felt the blood flowing again and within seconds, her slow massage had him back at full mast. Irelia shot the fox a sly grin.

'See? No time at all.'

She continued to run her hand up and down his length, sliding his skin back and forth. She was surprisingly more delicate than Ahri and held an enticing rhythm to her movements. Ronan couldn't help but look her up and down, seeing her tight body contained in the spandex of her sports outfit. There was still the sheen of sweat between her modest breasts and down her gentle abs from her training. Her baby blue eyes met his purple ones, and Ronan could see the snarky smile on her lips as she rubbed him off. Her face came closer and soon Ronan's lips were planted to the Blade Dancer's.

'Uuugh, get on with it,' Ahri said from the side. Irelia ignored her, moaning into Ronan's mouth, clearly pleased with her fellow Ionian's displeasure at being left out. Irelia broke the kiss, licking her plump lips as she looked over her shoulder at the fox.

'Getting impatient? I think Ronan's decided who he likes best,' Irelia said, winking and turning back to Ronan to mash her lips to his in another sloppy kiss.

Ronan's hands were eager to explore his new partner's body, running his fingers along her bare sides underneath her sports bra, before dipping down to feel the swell of her ass. _Oh my god,_ he thought as he wrapped a palm around Irelia's shapely ass cheeks and took a handful. Ahri was certainly very buxom and well-endowed, beautifully filled out all over, but Irelia was tight with a fit form and very little fat on her body, so her wide hips and full ass were rather out of proportion to the rest of her body. Ronan however, had no complaints. He continued to grope, hearing Irelia let out another lustful moan as her skin started to heat up.

She pushed him backwards until he was sat on the edge of the bed. Ahri was still stood over the other side of the room, silently watching with intrigue as Irelia went about her work. Ronan couldn't help but think that Ahri and Irelia's sexual rivalry was more than just a one-time occasional. Judging by the way the fox's attitude had changed as she observed, he almost felt like this had been setup from the start.

Irelia settled on her knees in front of him, her baby blue eyes looking up and her hands eagerly going back to fondle his now very erect cock.

'Did she suck you off?' Irelia asked in little more than a whisper, nodding to Ahri behind her. Ronan nodded. 'Then let me show you how it's really done.'

Irelia's lips wrapped themselves around his cock, sucking gently at his head before lowering down until his dick was totally in the warmth of her mouth and prodding at the entrance of her throat. Her tongue ran along the underside of his cock, making him so erect it was almost painful. Irelia was dutiful with her movements, but still gentle. Much like her handjob had been earlier, the dancer moved with purpose and intent, yet was elegant and graceful in bringing about his pleasure.

Ronan almost slipped from the edge of the ruffled sheets as Irelia's head slipped all the way down and her nose touched his pelvis. With his entire length swallowed up, Ronan was sure she was taking him right into her throat and shuddered at the perfect moist sleeve she was providing him. She held herself there, not spluttering or even showing the slightest bit of discomfort, before she slid off of him and his cock smacked out of her mouth with a pop.

She shot him a satisfied look paired with a cheeky smile, obviously content with his red sweaty face and his tightly wound muscles. 'That's how you do it properly,' she stated. 'No teeth, it's all in the tongue work. Ahri uses too much fang.'

'Hey!' Ahri said, joining Irelia on the floor and giving her a hard shove. 'Why don't you stop throwing around insults and pretending to be little miss perfect and get on with the job in hand? Ronan's here to learn about women, not about giving blowjobs.'

'Sounds like someone's sad about being left out,' Irelia countered, shuffling to the side as to allow Ahri to join her. She slid a slender hand around Ronan's cock before offering it to the fox. 'Let's see if she can do it without the teeth.'

'Let's not fight, girls,' Ronan said, trying his best to be diplomatic, though secretly he hoped that maybe inciting a bit more competition would result in greater pleasure for him.

Ahri was vexed by the comments, but couldn't resist the hard length that was standing upright in front of her and pointing at her face. She dived in with her tongue, running it up and down the length of his cock and slathering it in spit. Irelia still held onto his shaft, gently moving her hand up and down with Ahri's licks and nips. Soon, the Blade Dancer seemed to become impatient and leant underneath to run her own tongue along Ronan's balls. He closed his eyes at the incredible sensation, letting out an involuntary groan as he struggled to keep up with their dancing tongues all over his cock.

'Urrgh,' he moaned out, gripping the sheets of Ahri's bed. 'Gods…'

'I think he's definitely into it,' Ahri said with a smirk at her fellow Ionian. Irelia silently agreed, going back to his shaft and stuffing it back into her mouth.

'I bet he thinks it can't get better than this,' Irelia said, pulling off his dick for a moment and giving it a few extra pumps.

'I can think of one thing I'd like changed,' Ronan said, sitting back up and opening his purple eyes again. He smiled at the sight of the two beautiful women between his legs, his erect cock sitting between their faces.

'Oh, what's that?' Ahri said, genuinely confused and not picking up on the playfulness in Ronan's tone. He pointed at Irelia.

'Someone's still got their clothes on,' he said.

Irelia looked down at her yoga pants and sports bra still clinging to her body, but before she could make any moves, Ahri had dived on top of her, tails all splayed out behind her as she clawed at Irelia's attire.

'Hey, Ahri!' Irelia yelled as the fox grabbed hold of her spandex bra and yanked it up over her head. Irelia's medium-sized breasts popped out and bounced as they came free from their confines. Ronan's eyes went wide as he ogled her fit top half and just how firm her breasts looked. Her nipples were already hard and stood to attention as pink little nubs on her milky pale skin. 'Oh no you don't,' said Irelia as Ahri went to pull at the waistband of her pants.

Irelia pushed the fox away and stood up, kicking off her trainers before turning around and dropping her pants to the floor. Even though the movement was quick, Ronan's eyes were glued to her backside as more and more skin became visible and her full pale ass emerged from beneath the tight fabric of her yoga pants.

'No underwear again, Irelia?' Ahri said and stuck out her tongue.

Irelia pouted at her and flicked the garment off to the side with one foot, making her rear jiggle. She span around, smiling widely at Ronan who was still staring with his jaw threatening to hit the floor. Irelia was all hip, with a thin waist leading down to a neatly kept area of blue above her pussy. His eyes flicked between the dancer and the fox.

'Stop gawking at me like that Ronan,' Irelia said, crossing a hand over her chest. Ahri stood with her hand on her hip, chewing her tongue as she saw Ronan eyeing them both up and down.

'He's trying to work out who he likes best,' Ahri giggled, running her hands along her sizable tits. 'No doubt it's me, I mean where's the competition with _that_.'

Irelia huffed, also kicking her hips out to the side. 'You sure Ronan was looking for a girl with such balloons stuck to her chest,' Irelia countered as she grabbed at the fox's breasts. Ahri squealed and returned the motion, pulling on the hard nipple of Irelia's left breast.

'Better than these tiny little things!'

'You're both beautiful,' Ronan said without thinking. Both girls looked back at him with the same expression, wanting him to admit who he liked more.

'Being diplomatic won't get you anywhere Ronan,' Irelia said as she moved over to him sat on the bed. 'If you won't admit that you think I'm the hottest, then I'll just have to prove it.'

The dancer leant down, pushing Ronan all the way back on the bed so his head rested on one of the pillows. She straddled his body, grinding her hips along his still-hard cock that pointed up to the ceiling. Her powerful thighs kept him down, pinning him on either side and he could feel the supple flesh of her ass pressing against his legs. Her skin was smooth all over, warm with a covering of sweat. She leant down to his face, blue hair draping over the lean muscle in his torso. 'Let's see what you've learnt,' she said cheekily, eagerly grabbing at his cock and sitting up to press it against the lips of her womanhood. She continued to grind until she was satisfied, rolling her body along his length until she knew he couldn't get any hard. Ronan watched with anticipation as his cock was taken in her slender fingers and mushed against her soft folds, vying for entry until eventually her hips fell to meet his pelvis and he slipped all the way inside her.

'Oh man…' he managed to breathe out, head falling right back into the bed. She was so luxuriously tight, so fit with all the years of training, dancing and aerobic exercise she did. Irelia seemed to be enjoying herself too as her breathing began to quicken, muffled only by her bottom lip that was caught between her teeth. She didn't moan as their pace increased, but Ronan desperately wanted her too. He wrapped his arms around her and took hold of her full ass in his palms, squishing the soft flesh between his fingers. Soon, their skin was slapping together with rhythm as each time Irelia sank her hips down, her generous ass hit his legs harder each time.

Ronan groaned with her, much to Ahri's displeasure who was sat to the side. The fox had jumped up onto her bed, lying beside Ronan as Irelia bobbed up and down atop him. She had her head propped up on her elbow, her tails resting over her body like a blanket. He turned to look at her, seeing her bored expression and saw that she was feeling left out. Momentarily taking his attention away from Irelia bouncing atop his cock, he leaned over and pulled Ahri into a deep kiss, hands tugging her over him. Suddenly, he felt the soft fur of her tails as they draped over his bare skin.

'I want a turn,' Ahri purred.

'You'll just have to wait,' said Ronan playfully.

Ahri snorted some air through her nose before propping herself up and throwing her legs over Ronan's face. He wasn't ready for it, but soon he found Ahri's ass over his eyes and her pussy inches from his mouth.

'I don't wait for what I want,' he heard her say. Ronan dived in with his tongue, lapping along the length of her slit. His saliva mixed with her own juices and soon he heard her moaning atop him. The moans however were quickly cut off, and Ronan could only assume that Irelia had mashed her lips against the fox's mouth.

Their dance of passion continued until Ronan felt the weight of the two girls lifted off of him and he found both of them back over his face, fighting for his lips with their hands fumbling around his cock. Soon he pulled Ahri round so that she was laying on her back on the ground, deciding that the fox required a little more attention to keep her happy. Ronan stood back on the carpet, pulling Ahri's legs so they went up and rested on his shoulders with her tails tickling along his bare skin. He rubbed his cock along the slickness of her entrance until he found the spot and slipped inside. Ahri wailed out instantly, nibbling on her finger to keep herself from moaning too loudly.

Irelia laid down on the bed, watching Ronan ream into the fox's pussy. She pressed her lips to Ahri's, further muffling the girl's cries and then cupped Ahri's sizeable breasts, squeezing and massaging them as Ronan's thrusts sent her body jiggling. The bed creaked with every pulse of his hips, the familiar warmth and wetness of her womanhood not forgotten after the sudden appearance of Irelia.

'Oh she definitely was just horny,' said Irelia as she tweaked at Ahri's nipples. The dancer's hand ran down her smooth stomach until it met the crest of her thighs and began to rub circles over the fox's clit. Instantly, Ronan felt Ahri's insides tighten even further, squeezing down on his cock and threatening to make him cum then and there. Her tails tensed up and twitched along with her body as an orgasm racked through her mind. She screamed out, but Ronan did not stop.

'That's it, fuck her hard Ronan,' he heard Irelia say to the side.

Ronan kept up his pace, but felt his end come quicker than he expected. He grasped his cock, pulling out of Ahri's hot depths and shot several long strands of cum over her body. Irelia had seen his impending orgasm and moved her head down to Ahri's pussy. The thick stream of white splattered across her cheek and dribbled down into her mouth. She licked her lips before planting a teasing kiss on Ronan's spent cock.

'I was hoping you'd cum inside her,' she said. 'The Institute magic keeps us protected.'

'I'll keep that in mind,' Ronan said, stroking Irelia's hair.

...

Ronan awoke to a sight that he knew would stick with him for some time. Irelia was already up and stood looking into the mirror on Ahri's wall not far from the foot of the bed. The Blade Dancer was still totally naked as she adjusted her hair and picked at her teeth, and from his position sat in the bed, Ronan had a wonderful view of her perfect backside. Sunlight was pouring in through the window, the curtains open as they hadn't bothered to close them the night before.

Ronan's feet were hot as a ray of sunlight went across the bed and touched his toes where they poked out of the duvet. He stretched out his arms, pushing the covers back a bit to reveal his bare chest. He felt a wash of relief go through his mind when he realised that he had the rest of the day off, not a single match scheduled until the day after. He'd have to start jungling sooner or later, but he was glad he had a little extra time to prepare. Plus, the events of the night before had taken their toll. He felt totally exhausted, even after however many hours of sleep. He glanced across the bed to try and see the clock, only to find Ahri's face inches from his. The fox was sleeping soundly with a gentle purr and was sucking on her thumb like a child. Ronan couldn't help but chuckle as he saw the mess of Ahri's hair and how puffed up her tails were. He decided to leave her be, it seemed like she needed the sleep.

His laugh hadn't gone unnoticed as Irelia turned around and saw him awake.

'Someone's up,' she said, before going back to brushing at her blue hair. 'Don't worry, Ahri's one of the laziest girls you'll ever meet. She won't even make a move until at least midday.' As if agreeing with Irelia's statement, Ahri suddenly let out a large snore.

The two of them locked eyes then joined together in fits of laughter.

'I think I'll leave her to it,' Ronan said, throwing over the covers of the left side of Ahri's queen-sized bed, Ronan rolled over and let his feet touch down on the carpet. Irelia was eyeing him up as she saw him stand up and wander over to her. She turned and leant against Ahri's dressing table, looking at him with an inviting stare.

'You look pretty awake,' Irelia commented, nodding below his waistline. Ronan suddenly became aware of how hard he was. First thing in the morning had that effect.

'Morning glory,' Ronan said, but felt his face warming up. Even though he'd had sex with Irelia only a few hours previously, he still felt strangely embarrassed in her presence now that the intimacy had passed. He decided to cover it up by being brazen and stood up to Irelia so that only a couple of inches were between him and the Blade Dancer. He put a hand on the dressing table next to her own so that he was leaning over her.

'Would now not be the time to say I thought you were amazing last night?'

Irelia's eyebrows went up at the compliment. 'Only if you say it again once Ahri's awake.'

'Maybe not,' Ronan said chewing on his tongue.

'Oh, you won't? That says a lot. You're going to have to prove it to me then,' Irelia replied, leaning slightly forward. Ronan took a moment just to wander his eyes over her eastern pale skin, leading up her thighs and her breasts to land back on her baby blue eyes.

'How do I do that?' he said, almost nudging her lips with his. He was surprised when Irelia pushed him away slightly and folded her arms.

'Not like that.'

'Why? What's wrong?' Suddenly Ronan felt embarrassed again.

'You stink,' she said flatly. 'So you've got to come with me first.'

Before Ronan knew it, Irelia had dragged him by the hand into Ahri's bathroom and turned on the stream of hot water. She opened up the shower door and stood under the shower, letting the water soak into her hair and down her body. 'Don't tell her, but I've been using Ahri's shower for nearly a week now. Mine's blocked and the Institute still haven't sent anyone out to fix it.'

'Ahri doesn't know?' Ronan asked. Irelia looked over her shoulder.

'Like I said, always asleep.' Irelia gestured to the shower cubicle. 'Get in here.'

Irelia practically yanked Ronan by the arm until he found himself in the shower with the Blade Dancer, the water running down his body. Irelia lathered some soap in her hands and ran it down the length of her body, rubbing it into the smooth skin of her shoulders, across her breasts and down her toned stomach. Ronan couldn't help but be mesmerised by the beauty of her hard body with the suds of soap dripping down.

'So who are you taking to the festival, Ronan?'

Ronan was suddenly broken from his staring. 'I err…what festival?'

'The Heartseeker festival, of course. It's only a week or so away now. You've got to have a date,' said Irelia, offering the bottle of bath soap to Ronan.

'I urr…don't know. I haven't asked anyone,' he said.

'You haven't asked anyone at all? You better get on with it, all the good ones will be gone soon.'

As if he suddenly realised he was stark naked with a woman in a shower, Ronan considered Irelia. 'Can I go with you then?' he asked. Irelia laughed.

'I'm taken, I'm afraid. As I said, all the good ones are going,' she said with another laugh. 'Yi asked me out of nowhere ages ago and I just thought whatever, so I said yes.'

'He doesn't seem your type.'

'He's not really. I like to think we're just going together to keep Ionian appearances up.'

Ronan went quiet and washed himself a little slower as he thought over his options. His first thought after Irelia was Riven, but thought that maybe the Exile wouldn't be too bothered with a social occasion like a festival.

'There's one girl in our common room that I know for certain isn't going with anyone yet,' Irelia said, with one eyebrow raised. 'And she's got her eye on you.'

'Who's that?'

'Figure it out, Ronan,' Irelia said with a smile.

* * *

 **This is the third time I've written a shower scene with Irelia. No prizes for guessing the sort of things I'm into. Anyway, hoped you enjoyed this little smutty interlude to the story. Obviously, it's becoming a bit of a harem fic, but that was sort of my plan from the start really. Ronan's plot with the sword and his missing memories is there to keep it all grounded.**

 **Quick note on characters, I'm presenting the female champions here as much more sexual beings than I perhaps might consider them to be. It's the nature of the fic. Ahri's clearly sexual, no doubt about that, but Irelia for example, I'm more inclined to believe the culture she's grown up around and the horrors she's faced have led her to keep a guard up in romantic/intimate situations. This fic is just a light-hearted sexy version of how the Institute could be, not considering the lore of character's backstories too deeply.**


	9. Chapter 9 - Obscured Answers

**Chapter 9 – Obscured Answers**

Even after Ronan had gone back to his room, showered, dressed and eaten breakfast, Ahri still hadn't emerged from her bed. Ronan laughed to himself at how she slept in like a teenager. Irelia had taken off in the direction of the training rooms where she seemed to perpetually spend her time and the rest of the common room was entirely empty. Ronan was happy to have a day off from matches (and some time to rest after his activities the night before) but with everyone busy with their daily routines, Ronan was soon rather lonely.

Lazing around in his room got boring very quickly, especially as his apartment was still unfurnished, and watching the matches on the screen didn't interest him either. He left the common room in search of something to do. The hallways were quiet, but as he moved into the main area of the Institute, he started to see some familiar faces. A few summoners he recognised were milling around the courtyard and he gave them a nod of greeting in their direction. He hadn't really created any meaningful friendships with the other summoners, mostly due to the amount of time he was spending with the champions. But if given the choice, Ronan would have taken making friends with all the girls in the common room over his peers any day.

He passed a few champions on their way to matches, training, or just to grab a bite to eat. He saw the Demacian brute Garen being tugged along by his energetic sister Lux in the direction of one of the Institute's cafés. 'Hello Ronan!' the blonde chirped as he passed them. Garen just gave him a friendly raise of his eyebrows as his sister yanked him by the arm. Graves was heading in the opposite direction, more than likely heading to a bar of some kind with his prized shotgun resting on his shoulder like a long-time companion. Piltover's Finest were heading out the door, Caitlyn looking unimpressed with an overly animated Vi who was obviously in mid-story.

Moving through the Institute, Ronan could hear a very heated conversation going on and turning a corner, he saw Xayah engaged in what looked like an argument with a man. Ronan assumed it was another champion that he hadn't met yet, and looking closer he was surprised to see the man looked just like Xayah, with bird-like feet and a long feathered cloak. Their bickering was back and forth as they continuously talked over each other. Xayah kept throwing her hands up in the air and Ronan was able to catch the words 'You never listen!' and 'Why are you so stubborn?'

The man was replying with similar accusations, puffing up his feathers like an agitated parrot. After Xayah shouted again, he waved his hands dismissively and took off down the corridor at speed. The summoners that had been watching suddenly went back to what they were doing instead of eavesdropping. Xayah was left alone, pressing a hand on her forehead and resting the other on her hip. She looked to be on the verge of tears, but as ever with Xayah, she was holding her emotions back with some brash attitude. No one approached her, likely fearing the wrong end of one of her feather daggers.

Ronan took a tentative step forwards. 'You alright, Xayah?' he asked as gently as he could. Xayah looked up to him from beneath her purple hood. Her dark hair covered her eyes, but Ronan could tell they were red and puffy.

'What do you want?' she asked.

'Just checking you were okay. That looked pretty…intense right there.'

'You think?' Xayah said, and the crack in her voice was obvious. She took in a deep breath and wiped her eyes. 'That waste of space was supposedly my loving boyfriend, Rakan.'

'Ah…I'm guessing things aren't going so well,' Ronan said. He wanted to hug her, and if it had been any of the other girls in his common room he wouldn't have given it a second thought, but Xayah was a little different. He didn't think she'd take kindly to it at the best of times, let alone the situation she was in.

'He's just being an asshole _again._ He doesn't think about me at all and just fucks off with his friends all the time. It's been going on like this for ages,' said Xayah, pulling her cloak a little tighter around her. 'I finally told him enough was enough.'

'What a jerk,' said Ronan trying to comfort her as best he could. 'You don't deserve that.'

Xayah shrugged. 'Don't think it matters now. Guess we've broken up,' Xayah said, quietly trying to hide a snivel. She waved a hand in the air dismissively. 'Urgh, fuck this I'm out. No point wasting my time here. Later Ronan.'

Ronan watched as Xayah sulked off back towards her room. He didn't imagine Xayah to be the type of girl to mope over a boy for very long, so he thought it best to leave her to it. He carried on in the direction he had been going and found the entrance to the large library and archives the Institute had.

Though he had been somewhat distracted with everything that had been going on, he was still curious about the sword sitting in his room, more so now after his chat with Riven. Her words about the sword runes being Ionian, yet styled to look Noxian intrigued him and he was eager to delve a little deeper.

The library was an astonishing place, unlike anything Ronan had ever seen. The room was wide and open, with natural light pouring in from a domed window in the ceiling. Along every wall of the circular room were shelves stacked high with tomes, books and papers filed into journals. A three-dimensional projection was magically cast in the air of the dome, showing the map of Runeterra in great detail. Everything appeared to be automated through a combination of hextech contraptions and summoning magic, with books flying off the shelves and robotic automatons ordering the inventory of the archives. The amount of knowledge was endless and navigating around the place seemed like an impossibility. Stepping along the marble floors, Ronan knew that he needed help or he'd be here forever. He had no idea where to even start, so he decided to first find a guide in the form of a summoner or a champion who knew their way around.

Ronan took the stairs down into the ground floor space, where desks and seats were set up for studying and reading. One large desk in the centre looked like the administration desk and so Ronan headed towards it.

'What do you want?' a rather disgruntled voice said as Ronan approached. Turning around in his chair, the Rune Mage Ryze was sat with a large open tome on his desk, interrupted from some passage about deep magic by Ronan's appearance.

'Oh sorry,' Ronan started, feeling like he was being rude, but soon realising it was probably just how Ryze was with everyone that came in. 'I was looking for any books on Ionian runic blade craft.'

Ryze raised an eyebrow and stroked a hand through his beard a few times as he thought. 'You mean the Ionian's use of runic energy to imbue weaponry? Later stolen by the Noxians?' he said.

'That sounds like it. Anything on that subject?'

Ryze gave Ronan a scrutinising stare, but quickly waved his hand towards one side of the dome. 'Section 4A, shelf 0013,' he said, going straight back to his book once he had finished speaking. He didn't spare Ronan another look.

'Thank you,' Ronan said and took off vaguely in the direction of where Ryze had gestured to. He walked along the line of shelves trying to see numbers that sounded right, tilting his head to look along the book spines. He found the section on Ionian weaponry fairly easily, but flicking through a few books on the shelf, he soon discovered that finding anything about the rune power would be tricky.

Soon, and with a stack of books in his hands, Ronan found a secluded table and started to scan through, hoping to find anything of interest that stuck out to him. He read a lot about the Ionian invasion, their spiritual control and the tactics they employed in war. He thought he was coming close once he discovered sections about magic weapons, but still there wasn't much about the rune powers.

'Studying hard, Ronan?' a calm voice said, causing Ronan to look up from his reading.

Karma had a gentle smile on her face as she regarded him, wearing her usual Ionian purple robes with her mantle attached behind her head.

'Oh…Karma,' Ronan said, closing the book and looking up at her. 'I didn't expect to see you here.'

'The library is one of my favourite places in the Institute, I come here often. There is great wisdom to be found within the writings of the old scholars,' Karma said. Ronan nodded, smiling at her very proper way of speaking. 'May I join you for a moment? I see you are reading up on Ionian affairs, I wondered if I could be any help.'

'Oh, by all means Duchess,' Ronan said politely, pulling out the other chair at his table. Karma blushed slightly.

'Just Karma Ronan. There are no titles among friends,' she said as she said down.

'Oh, I'm sorry.' Ronan took his seat, noticing Karma looked with interest at the many books on his table.

'Ionian weaponry?' she said.

'Yes…I'm trying to work something out,' said Ronan, not entirely sure where to start with his problem. 'I was given a sword recently, one with Ionian runes on it according to Riven, styled to look Noxian. For some reason, I feel some attachment to it, as if I've already seen it before somewhere. But I've had issues with memory loss before joining the Institute so I can't quite remember.'

Ronan was happily telling his story, but when he looked at the dark-skinned woman across the table from him, he saw that her expression was one of concern and deep thought.

'An Ionian sword with Noxian runes?' Karma asked.

'That's what Riven thought it was. A sword with Ionian runes, but ones that had been made to look Noxian.'

Karma went silent for a moment. 'Riven would know about that. Her own sword is made from magic that the Noxians stole from Ionia and then used against us when their invasion happened.'

'Really?' Ronan asked.

Karma nodded. 'We used to have dealings with the Noxians while we were allies on some level. National relationships started to fall apart however when it turned out that Noxian spies had been stealing weaponry from Ionia on state visits. Our newly created runic bladework was taken from us and reshaped by Noxian sorcery. Our countries became enemies, eventually leading to their invasion. It does however worry me slightly about you mentioning the loss of your memories.'

'Why is that worrying?' Ronan felt his heart start to race as Karma's countenance betrayed some disturbance in her internal balance.

'Well…it was said—and I have no evidence to support this I must add—that there was an incident where a thief from Noxus tried to steal a new type of runic power that the Ionian bladeworkers were experimenting with. I don't know any details, but it was rumoured that during the dispute, the new rune blade they'd made was broken and the power seeped out…'

'What happened then?'

'The magic escaped and attacked the minds of all those in the vicinity. The result was…total memory loss.'

...

Karma's words echoed in Ronan's head for hours after their meeting in the library. He kept trying desperately to remember anything from his past that might give him an indication of whether what she was saying was true, and whether he had been involved in it. The more he thought however, the more his memories seemed to slip away. Before long, he was struggling to even remember his old school before the Institute. The more he thought about the possibility of her words being true, the less sense it seemed to make it to him.

He spent more than an hour wandering around the Institute gardens and courtyards outside to try and think things through, but as his ruminations started to wear him down, he decided to go back inside. He was walking aimlessly along one of the endless corridors when a familiar voice shouted from behind him.

'Ronan!' the voice called. Ronan turned to see his friend Ezreal with Jayce in tow. He smiled, suddenly becoming aware that some time with friends to unwind was exactly what he needed.

'What's going on, Ez?' Ronan said casually, giving the explorer a handshake. 'Hey Jayce,' he said, looking to the defender.

'We were just going down to the main bar to watch one of the games going on. It's gonna be a crazy one!' Ezreal said with excitement.

'Oh yeah, who's playing?' Ronan asked.

'Just a lot of old rivalries being pitched against each other,' Jayce said.

'You can say that again!' Ezreal chimed in. 'Nasus versus Renekton in the top lane, then there's Vi in the jungle on one side and Jinx in the bot lane on the other so that's another one. Then Ashe is bot for one team with Sejuani in the jungle on the other side, it's gonna be mental!'

'Ashe and Sejuani?' Ronan had only heard Sejuani's name before, he didn't know about any connection to Ashe.

'Yeah, they're big rivals up in Freljord. Sejuani's jealous of Ashe being crowned queen. They hate each other.

Ronan didn't quite believe that Ashe was even capable of hate as every time he'd spoken to the Frost Archer, she'd been nothing but sweet and kind.

'Come watch it with us man, you won't want to miss it,' Ezreal said. Ronan smiled and started walking with the two Piltoverians towards the bar.

Ezreal was totally right. The match was intense. The main viewing bar was packed with champions and summoners alike and the atmosphere was electric. Every time a kill was marked on the board or an objective was taken, the bar lit up with cheers and shouts. The top lane match up was proving to be a bloody one, with constant exchanges back and forth and the two Shuriman demi-gods locked in a never ending duel. Vi too had been sure to target her opponent and ganked bot often to try and get at Jinx, which didn't always work as Sejuani was often already waiting to counter-gank. Ashe seemed to be avoiding any fighting with Sejuani each time the boar-rider turned up in bot lane, but made the best of every situation and managed to rack up several impressive kills. Ronan couldn't help but smile each time he saw her doing something that they had done in their games together.

While the two teams were locked in a stalemate for most of the game, Ashe's personal lead over her lane opponent was starting to shift their favour. A few perfectly timed ultimate arrows won them several team fights in a row and before long, they were knocking at the doors of the enemy's base. As the final tower before the inhib fell, an explosive team fight erupted inside their base. Ashe's arrow hit Renekton square in the face as the crocodile dived forwards to try and bring her down. Her team protected her, dealing with the stunned top laner and moving on to take the rest of the team out one by one, giving Ashe her first kill of the fight. Nasus managed to wither Jinx and slow her down to a crawl, but her team formed a wall and soon Nasus was in the death chamber as well. After her kill on Renekton, Ashe scored herself two more kills with a well shot volley across the enemy team. With a triple kill to her name, she survived Jinx's minigun duelling barely with her lifesteal and took the Loose Cannon down too. Whoops of excitement were building in the bar as the fight got more and more intense, and as Sejuani tried her best to dodge around Ashe's arrows, the Frost Archer kited her way around her rival's winter flail and fired her final arrow between the eyes of Sejuani's boar.

The announcer called for a pentakill. The bar exploded in raucous joy. Ezreal and Jayce shot to their feet, nearly knocking over the round of beers on their table. Ronan joined them, feeling his heart warming seeing Ashe doing so well. The applause was nearly deafening, but Ronan kept cheering, losing his voice among the shouts. The nexus exploded and victory was called for Ashe's team. The Frost Archer's face appeared on the screen, named as the most valuable player in the match. Ronan's smile went from ear to ear.

'Damn, did you see that?' Ezreal seemed totally exhilarated by the match. 'Ashe was insane that game!'

'I thought she'd been struggling the last few games, but woah didn't look like it that time,' Jayce said.

'She's amazing,' Ronan said, and the two boys looked at him and laughed.

'Falling in love there Ronan?' Jayce said and poked him in the side.

Before he could come up with a return, the energy in the room grew as the winning team came into the bar area after their match. There were rounds of congratulations and crowds were swarming, particularly around Ashe who was trying her best to talk to everyone. Ronan wanted to talk to her, but couldn't get through the wall of people. He resorted to waiting his turn to congratulate her, but it took a long time to even get close.

Ronan was patient, more patient than Ezreal and Jayce who had left to go to another bar. The amount of people who were in the main bar had reduced enough for Ronan to get into the centre of the room, and with some looking around, he found Ashe having a drink on a small table in the corner with her friend Quinn who had been watching the game as well. When Ronan got close, Quinn quickly stood up.

'I'll leave you two alone,' the ranger said and left without another word. Ronan watched her go and Ashe chuckled at his reaction.

'Did I do something wrong?' Ronan said to Ashe.

'Maybe you smell bad,' Ashe said, smiling at him. She stood up to hug him as he got close and Ronan wrapped his arms around her waist.

'You were amazing that game,' he said.

'Thanks. I kept in mind what you taught me,' she said.

'I could tell,' Ronan smiled. 'You better credit me for those. They're top secret tactics.'

Ashe laughed sweetly, and Ronan noticed that there was a definite rosiness to her cheeks. She brought a hand up to brush a lock of white hair out of her face. She kept looking at him he noticed, but never held eye contact with him for very long.

It was then that he remembered Irelia's words from that morning, and suddenly it all fell into place. As he looked at Ashe's blushing face, noticing her flustered expression and her awkward body language, Ronan made his decision.

'Hey Ashe, listen,' Ronan started, trying his best not to stumble over his words.

'Yes, Ronan?'

'Do you want…are you…has any one asked you to the Heartseeker Festival yet?'

 _Smooth, Ronan_ , he thought to himself. _Ask three questions at once, you idiot._

There was a twinkle in Ashe's blue eyes. 'I…no, not yet,' she replied, shaking her head.

'Do you want to go with me?' he finally blurted out.

There was a pause where Ashe looked like she'd fallen into a dream.

'I'd love to,' she replied.

* * *

 **So I wrote this whole chapter in one sitting. Seems like finishing uni and struggling to find a full time job actually makes you productive. On that note, I'm happy to say I've finished my Masters and I'm set to graduate with distinction, so yay! I did it!**

 **Anyway, thank you all for your continued support on this story. It always makes me happy to read the reviews and see people continuing to favourite and follow even when I don't update for long periods. A lot of you guessed right, Irelia was talking about Ashe.**


	10. Chapter 10 - Thawing the Heart

**Chapter 10 - Thawing the Heart**

 **Lemon ahead.**

Ronan was sat on the edge of Irelia's bed while the Blade Dancer was doing her hair in the mirror above the dressing table. The night of the Heartseeker festival had finally come around, and all throughout the Institute champions were getting themselves ready for a night of music, drinks and maybe just a little bit of romance. There was gossip flooding all the corridors about who was going with who, rumours that were mainly propagated by a certain Nine-Tailed Fox. From what Ronan had heard through the grapevine, Jayce had bagged himself a date with Sheriff Caitlyn, much to Vi's disappointment. Garen had been coerced into taking Fiora, Ezreal unsurprisingly was going with Lux and Karma had decided to accompany Shen – although it had taken some time to talk the Eye of Twilight into attending what he referred to as 'unnecessary frolicking.'

Word had spread of him and Ashe's partnership for the festival quicker than Ronan could have expected. Possibly, the Frost Archer had gone around telling everyone, but it seemed like everyone knew within minutes of him asking her. Ronan was excited as he sat in Irelia's room while she got ready. He was dressed in his best robes, smartened up with his hair combed and slicked into place and wearing some fancy smelling aftershave. Irelia looked incredible in the attire she had donned for the night. She wore thin white robes that were tied around her middle with a large golden belt. Her blue hair had been tied in an ornate style and she wore a diadem of white feathers across her forehead. While Irelia's usual attire was certainly form fitting, her outfit for the festival showed off a lot more skin than Ronan was used to.

'Yi will be happy,' Ronan smirked as he stood up and walked over to Irelia's side as she peered into the mirror. She shot him a look before going back to settling her hair.

'How many times do I have to tell you I'm not trying to get off with Yi,' she said. 'You and Ashe on the other hand.'

Ronan laughed. 'You sure? You seem to be putting a lot of effort in to impress him.' Irelia reached over and poked him in the stomach.

'I'm not! I told you we're just going for Ionian appearances. I will have a pleasant evening and then return to my bed early for training tomorrow morning.'

'Have you told him that? He might have other plans on his mind,' Ronan said with a smile.

'He's not getting his hands on anything,' she muttered and carried on with her beauty routine.

'Ashe seems pretty eager about the whole thing,' Ronan said, musing about the archer. He found his thoughts kept wandering back to her each time talk of the festival came up. He was strangely nervous about meeting her for the evening. She had a different manner to her than the other girls, more refined but at the same time still very shy. He knew he was going to have to take the lead, and he hoped that his slowly expanding experience with women would help him meet the expectations she clearly had. Irelia turned to look at him, halfway through the process of blending some makeup into her cheeks.

'Ashe is totally obsessed with you, you should have realised that by now,' said Irelia. Ronan shrugged.

'Guess I suck at noticing hints,' he said. Irelia blew some air out and laughed.

'She'd have to dance in front of you stark naked to make it any more obvious. You better know what you're in for tonight.'

'We'll just have to go and find out.'

…

The festival was a much larger event than Ronan had expected. He assumed being an evening dedicated to hearts and romance that only a few champions in the roster would actually be interested in attending. Surely none of the darker, more serious champions were going to have any care for something like that. To his surprise though, it appeared that everyone had shown up, and taken the time to dress up as well. The large open party area was filled with chatter and cheer all blanketed in a pallet of reds, whites and pinks.

Ronan saw Lucian as he passed through the door and into the main hall, the gunslinger dressed in a very conspicuous bright red blazer over a black shirt. Ronan noticed that he was arm in arm with someone, who to his utter amazement turned out to be Vayne. He thought Vayne would be the last person to be seen at an event like this, let alone dressed in what she was wearing. A scant red and white skirt barely covered the tops of her thighs, leading up to an open shirt that showed off her fit mid-riff and pale skin. A pair of red horn-rimmed glasses sat on her nose and her long black hair was tied up in a short ponytail with a red band. Tucked up with Lucian, the Night Hunter actually looked quite cheerful for once.

Rows of party food were set up on long thin tables draped in red tablecloths and a large silver dish was filled with what looked like some sort of punch. He saw Sona at the top of the hall on a small stage playing her etwahl and wearing a long red ballgown. Soothing tones lifted from her playing and out into the room. Ronan said a few hellos to people as he passed them, noticing plenty of Demacians, a few Noxians and even some Zaunites – all seemingly getting along for one night only.

The Piltover duo of Ezreal and Jayce were sat at one of the tables, both wearing fancy dinner suits with several empty glasses already on their tabletops. Ronan waved to them, but didn't respond to Ezreal's gestures to bring him over. He was too interested in finding Ashe. Irelia walked with him into the hall and he could see how her eyes were scanning the tops of people's heads, searching for Yi he guessed.

'He better not be wearing those stupid goggles tonight,' Irelia said.

As she said that, Yi appeared through the crowd wearing a long Ionian robe similar in design to Irelia's own but with more purples and blues. His long hair was neatly kept, along with a small goatee. Luckily, he was goggle-less.

'Good evening, Irelia,' he said, bowing low to show respect. Ronan didn't consider Yi the type to care much for formalities. As traditional as the Ionian swordsman was, he always came across as a bit too arrogant for courtesies. He turned and gave Ronan a similar greeting. 'Summoner Ronan,' he said. Irelia flapped her hand.

'Stop it Yi, you're embarrassing yourself,' she said and grabbed him by the arm, taking off into the hall and the crowd of people. She looked over her shoulder as she moved away. 'See you later, Ronan. Don't let Ashe freeze you to death.'

Soon they'd melted into the crowd, Irelia awkwardly arm in arm with Yi and Ronan was left by himself. He kept looking around to try and spot Ashe's white hair, but couldn't see her at all. Surely she hadn't stood him up, she seemed like she really wanted to go when he'd asked her, not to mention all the times the other girls had told him how obsessed she was with him.

Eventually with no luck, he gave in and headed back to the table where he'd seen Ezreal and Jayce. This time when he got to them, he found they had been joined by the Sheriff herself. Caitlyn was sat with her legs neatly folded wearing her usual dress and top hat. Interestingly, Ronan could see her rifle propped up by the wall behind them.

'Hey, any of you seen Ashe?' he asked. Ezreal and Jayce just shrugged and looked to Caitlyn. It was obvious that if anyone needed to know something, Caitlyn was the person to ask. The sheriff doffed her hat and looked to Ronan with her inquisitive eyes.

'I saw her before the night began, love. She's hosting this little get-together so she's probably rushing around making sure it all goes to plan. Speaking of which…' Caitlyn said and stood up, collecting her rifle. 'I should be on duty, goodbye for now.'

Tipping her hat one last time she sauntered away back towards the main door. Ronan struggled to pull his eyes away from the way her backside swayed in her little dress and her high-heeled boots. As practical as the sheriff was, her taste in clothes was rather out of accordance with her personality. Not that he was complaining.

The two Piltoverian lads were also ogling Caitlyn a bit, but as she left they turned back to Ronan.

'Where's your girl then Ez?' Ronan said, lightly punching the explorer on the shoulder. Ezreal gave a guilty look and then pointed over to a crowd of people on the far side of the hall. Ronan looked over and saw a very talkative and animated Lux, clearly drunk out of her mind, mingling loudly with other guests.

'She's _enjoying_ herself, I guess,' Ezreal said, not sounding at all happy with the situation. 'Meanwhile Jayce ended up going with the woman who happened to also be organising the security for the evening,' he continued, pointing to the direction where Caitlyn had left from. 'So naturally, we're both here by ourselves. Think Ashe will be out soon. I did see her briefly earlier, but that was a while ago,' said Ezreal, sipping at his drink. 'Get yourself one of these, Ronan.' He raised his glass of red liquid. 'They're so good and will maybe give you a bit of confidence to woo your partner with.'

Jayce gave a slightly drunken laugh along with a small hiccup. 'He doesn't need any of that, he's got all the girls drooling over him. Say Ronan, I thought you were with Riven? Or are powerful women with white hair just your type then?'

'Something like that Jayce,' Ronan laughed. He'd never seen Jayce—who usually kept himself quite level-headed—in such a state before. It was a funny sight. 'I'll leave you guys to it, she's got to be around somewhere.'

Ronan took off again into the crowd, sparing a few greetings and hellos here and there with champions and summoners alike. The hall was vast and open, and with everyone wearing the same colours, it was difficult to distinguish individual people from one another.

It was Ashe's distinct laugh that caught his ears first. He ran across the room to where he thought the sound came from, opening into a clearing of people and finally seeing her for the first time that night. Surrounded by a few Demacians and summoners, Ashe looked absolutely stunning in her Heartseeker attire, far surpassing the beauty of any of the other champions he'd seen that night. There was refinement to her outfit, making her appear regal and mature yet still charming and glamourous.

'Ashe!' he called and she looked his way, causing her curled white hair to flick over her shoulder. She smiled warmly and ran over to him, wrapping him in a hug when they met.

'Ronan! I wasn't sure I'd find you. I had to go early to get everything set up and I wasn't sure if you'd be waiting at my room or something,' she said, pulling apart slightly but still holding on to him. A slight blush had already spread on her cheeks.

'I didn't know that this was your party Ashe, it's incredible,' Ronan said, snaking a hand around her waist. He had to lean in so she could hear him and he was only a few inches away from kissing her cheek.

She giggled. 'You're enjoying it then?' she asked, seeming a little sheepish. Ronan watched as she swept her white curls out of her eyes.

'Of course,' he replied. 'How did you end up hosting something like this?'

'It's something I've done every year,' she said. 'Ever since I got this outfit and everyone loved it. A few of the other girls wanted their own and so we turned it into a little event. It's turned into something huge.' Ashe was smiling as she looked around the large open hall, blue eyes glistening like the pools of a glacier. Ronan's eyes took the moment to trace her up and down, along the long legs in her thigh-high stockings, her red and white corset and the little heart necklace on her chest.

'Let me get you a drink,' Ronan said, turning to the polished silver bowl of punch and pouring a glass. He poured his own and handed the other to her. She took it rather shyly, looking at the red liquid hesitantly.

'I…don't really drink that much,' she said, looking at him for his response.

'Neither do I,' he said with a shrug before taking a long draught of his drink. Ashe smiled and took a sip of her own.

…

Sona's music turned to a slow waltz as the evening wore on and many of the party-goers had either gone back to their rooms or were slouched in their chairs in a slightly drunken haze. Jayce was sat with his bow tie draped over his chest as he slumped over the table after one too many drinks.

On the dancefloor, a few couples were locked in a slow dance with one another. Ashe laid her head on Ronan's shoulder as he held her around the waist and swayed side to side to the slow tempo of Sona's playing. A few drinks down, Ronan had offered his hand to Ashe and taken her for a dance. He felt a warmth spread across his cheeks as she rested her head on him, and under the long locks of white hair, Ronan caught a glimpse of her charming face and contented smiles as she looked up at him.

In an instant, he'd brushed the white strands of hair out of her eyes, looking deeply into their deep blue colour before slowly leaning in and touching his lips to hers. It was a gentle kiss, far more so than any other he'd shared with any of the girls. Ashe's hand gripped his shoulder as their lips locked, her nose brushing over his cheek. Ronan didn't care if anyone was looking their way, all that mattered was the softness of her lips and the contours of her body as she slotted herself against him.

'Come with me,' she said in no more than a whisper. Suddenly, he felt his hand be taken by hers and she was pulling him across the dance floor and towards the far side of the hall. They burst through a set of doors into another room and Ronan took a moment to see where they'd gone to. It looked like another party room, but one that hadn't been used all evening. There were a few long tables with red tablecloths and many chairs each ready for a group of twelve of more, and behind them a few sofas and comfy looking chairs.

As soon as the doors were closed behind them, Ashe was back on him, mashing her lips to his with more passion than she had shown until then. Their kisses were becoming more heated and Ronan's hands were beginning to slip down along her front, along the swells of her breasts and around her back until they grazed the curve of her rear.

'What's this room?' Ronan asked between fervent lip-smacks. Ashe took a quick glance around.

'I wasn't sure how many would turn up tonight, so I hired out several rooms. This one never got used,' she said, snaking both arms around his neck. 'It's ours for the night.'

'Now that's something that I like to hear,' Ronan said, gripping Ashe's body and lifting her up. She yelped and giggled at his playfulness, holding on to him tightly as he brought her across the room. With nuzzling noses and more nips and pecks at each other's lips, Ronan finally set her down so she was laying across one of the large sofas with him on top of her. He shifted himself up, so he was back at her face with only inches between them.

'You sure you didn't plan this?' Ronan asked.

'Maybe a little,' Ashe laughed and cupped his cheek, bringing him in for another kiss.

Before long, Ronan lost his patience with the beautiful woman below him, and now being granted the privacy for the two of them to do as they wished, he struggled to keep his urges tamed. His kisses trailed from her lips to her neck, nibbling on the soft skin and leaving lines of lip marks all the way down to her collar.

'Ronan…' she mumbled with a slight purr to her voice. 'That tickles!'

'I'll have to do it some more then,' he said and went back to her neck, slipping beneath the folds of her dress and touching the tops of her breasts. She stopped him as he tried to tug at the fabric to reveal more skin, and he was slightly confused to find her sitting up. Her face was flushed and she looked rather uncomfortable, but still the light of longing twinkled in her eyes. Her hand rested on him.

'Sorry,' she said as their eyes locked. 'This is all a bit new to me, I've…not done much of this kind of thing before.'

Ronan was a little surprised, but tried not to show it as Ashe was clearly anxious at his response.

'You mean relationships?' he asked. She gave a little nod.

'I'm queen of the Freljord,' she laughed, 'there's expectations set for me to marry and have an heir. But none of that has happened yet.'

'Oh,' Ronan said. It made more sense once she had explained it. Ronan certainly struggled to believe that a girl as beautiful and regal as Ashe would have trouble finding a partner. 'So, isn't this against those traditions…you know _this_ ,' Ronan said, motioning to the sofa that they'd been making out furiously on.

Ashe quickly grabbed him by the collar and pulled him back down until once again, they were inches apart and Ronan's body was flushed against hers. He could feel the cushion of her breasts and her legs that had partially entwined with his.

'I said I was the queen,' Ashe said in a sultry voice. 'I make the rules.'

'I wouldn't want to question my queen then, would I?' Ronan said with a smile as he leant forward and kissed her soft lips once more. Her fingers tugged at robes until they came free, pooling around his waist and leaving his top half bare. Her hands explored delicately, and now that he knew that the whole experience was totally new for her, he allowed her all the time she needed.

Ronan found a clasp where Ashe's red and white outfit was connected behind her back, looking into her eyes for permission. 'May I?' he asked and she nodded.

The fabric slipped down off her top half and it came away in one piece, leaving her in lingerie of the same colour, lacey and perfectly teasing her most precious parts. Her breasts were barely contained, and once he snapped the clip apart, the bra fell to the sofa before tumbling onto the floor and joining the rest of her clothes.

Ashe's breasts were a perfect pair in Ronan's eyes, the perfect size and shape, standing proudly on her chest and her delicate nipples growing hard in the cold air. He went to palm them and she twitched as his hands came into contact with her soft mounds.

'Your hands are cold,' she said with a giggle.

'Not for much longer,' he replied and slipped beneath her panties. Ashe seized up at the brushing fingers on her lower lips, breaths coming out in difficult pants as Ronan drew circles in the soft flesh of her labia.

'Oh…' she said with a throaty gasp. 'Don't stop.'

He kissed her neck as he explored, shrugging off his robes until he was left in the same state of undress as her. Kicking off the clothes to the floor, he laid on top of her again, bringing her arms above her head and lacing their fingers together. With her hands no longer there to stop him, he dove in and took her nipple in his mouth, sucking tenderly and kissing at the flesh of her right breast.

Ashe let out a little whimper and wriggled in his grip, but he kept her arms high above her head. Ronan moved to her left breast and gave it the same treatment. As he sank lower, he couldn't keep a grip on her detained arms, and so once he made it to her stained panties, he let her go free. With his warm breath tickling her core, her hands became lost in his short hair.

Ronan slipped her panties down her legs until only her stockings were left on and her body became a canvas of snow-white skin. He looked up to her womanhood and saw it glistening in the low light of the party room, the pink lips untouched and ready for him.

She grabbed his head even harder as his tongue drew a line across her sex, gathering up her wetness and rolling itself through her folds. Her mewls had tuned to all out moans as he kissed and nipped at her overly sensitive skin, drawing circles and lapping at her clit.

With each movement he made and every suck at her lower lips, Ashe's body wound and seized up in fits and spasms until she locked his head between her legs with her thighs, letting out breathy moans.

'That feels…amazing,' she said, but sounded as if words would not come to her mind. Ronan lifted himself up to see her flushed face and glazed eyes, smiling at the way her tense arms were squeezing her breasts together. Her nipples had become rock hard with all the activity. As he shifted around, Ronan slipped the rest of his robes down his legs until he was also naked and his length was bared to her. She eyed it with wide eyes, the new sight something that filled her with a husky longing for him. She nibbled on a finger with anxious fidgeting while her other hand went slowly down to her pussy and stroked over her lips slowly as he moved into position.

'Are you ready?' he asked, as he levelled his cock with her folds. She gave a very shy nod and spread her legs a little wider on the sofa. Ronan leaned over her body, taking his cock in one hand and lining it up for entry. He gave a slow prod at her lips as the tip came into contact, before pushing in slowly. She was unbearably tight and didn't allow him much access. Her face had screwed up in an expression of more pain than pleasure, and so he reminded himself to be as gentle as possible. When she noticed he had stopped, she looked back to him.

'Keep going,' she said quietly. He gave another slight push and this time he managed to slip the tip inside. She let out a more ecstatic moan as he pressed deeper, and sliding his arms behind her back, he pressed on the rest of the way until his entire length was buried in the tight passage of her pussy. Her arms mirrored his movements and locked around his neck, holding him tightly as he slowly began to move. Her shallow breaths sung into his ear as he developed a slow rhythmic pace, enjoying the slick tightness of her passage.

'Does it feel good?' he whispered into her ear. She let out a sigh before replying.

'Yes…don't stop.'

The sound of her voice weakened by pleasure was enough for him to continue as he was, slipping his hands down her bare back and nibbling on her neck. He met her face, gazing over her blue eyes before mashing his lips to hers tightly. He sped up faster as he held her in his arms, feeling her slick heat grow more moist with each thrust.

As they broke away, Ronan took in all her features laying down below him on the sofa in the party room. Her white curls that were starting to become messy, her blushing face, all the way down her perfect naked breasts and stomach down to her pussy gripping his cock. He grabbed her wrists and pinned them to her sides as he found a new pace of sending his cock inside her.

'Ronan…keep going!' she screamed as the exertion of his thrusts were beginning to form a sheen of sweat on his lean body. The soft plush feeling of her insides was becoming too much and he knew he couldn't keep it up the way he was going. He was coming dangerously close to climax, and the squeezing of her pussy around his cock with each thrust was only pushing him further.

'Ashe…I'm going to…urgh…cum,' he tried to warn her, but the feeling of her heat was dizzying his mind.

'It's okay…cum with me, inside me,' she breathed out and the spoken permission was all he needed to hear to propel him over the edge. Ronan groaned loudly as he came deep inside the Frost Archer, keeping his cock lodged in her folds as he let go of his inhibitions. Ashe was moaning loudly as his cock shot off several strands of white inside her and Ronan was vaguely aware of it, but the pleasure was overtaking his mind. All his muscles had seized, and eventually he collapsed on top of her, her breasts pillowing up between them as he lay his head next to hers.

For several moments, all they could hear were each other's pleasured pants as they caught their breaths.

'How…how was that?' Ronan asked, looking up to her. She was smiling and cupped his cheek with her hand.

'It was perfect,' she said, leaning forward and kissing him. There was still a longing in those blue eyes however. 'Can you go again?' she asked, this time in a more cheeky voice.

'Maybe if you take me to your room,' he said, a small smile tugging at the corner of his lips.

'Sounds like a deal to me.'

* * *

 **The long-awaited Ashe chapter, hope it was worth the wait. Not the last you'll see of her, that's for sure.**

 **Feels good to have something to post, been so busy with life recently. Still struggling to get a new job, but I've found myself with a girl in my life again, so that's nice. Maybe by 2020 I'll be all set up and will have nothing left to worry about. One can hope. Hope you're all well, thanks for taking the time to read this story.**


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